Wilton Valley
by danixox
Summary: 5 yrs ago Gabriella and Troy were young and in love living in the small town of Wilton Valley.They get married at a ridiculously young age but it soon ends with a tearful and heartbreaking divorce making Gabi move to NY. Now she's back, but shes not alone
1. Home Sweet Home

**Summery: Troy and Gabriella were young and in love living in the small town of Wilton Valley. Being swept away by their intense passion they get married at a ridiculously young age, but after a year they end it with a tearful and heartbreaking divorce. Gabriella moves to New York leaving Troy in the small town, but five years later she's back with a serious boyfriend who insists on meeting her parents. She stresses about coming face to face with Troy again and strives on keeping their past together a secret from her current boyfriend for the sake of keeping their relationship strong.**

**Rated T for language.**

* * *

**Prologue.**

Young love-so naive, so immature, so unsophisticated, but it corrupted her in an instance. Before she could blink, or breathe in a pant of air, she was captivated. Spellbound by his eyes and his charm but most of all by the way he made her feel, the confidence he helped build and the feeling he created when he etched the permanent mark into her heart.

That kind of passion can make a person do foolish and irrational things.

Gabriella was never impulsive. She lived life on a schedule, planning each step, walking never running. She had known what she wanted to do since she was a little girl, knew the type of man she wanted to marry and at what age, knew where she'd want to live and what her house would look like. She had it all planned out, never feeling the need to take a risk for she didn't have to. But that all changed when she moved from a hectic and habitual lifestyle in Kansas City to Wilton Valley.

Seemed like with a new home came new morals because instead of studying and going to med school like she had mapped out, she found herself experimenting with art, staying out all night making love under the stars, and getting married at the ripe age of seventeen.

**Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home**

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Dalton Highway, Route 10**

**July 2nd**** 2009**

An eerie feeling loomed over her and her stomach brewed with anxiety. She hadn't been there in five long years but that streak ended when her boyfriend, Joshua Hayden insisted that it was time he met her parents. So there she was coming face to face with the mountains of Wilton Valley, Alaska and as they flashed by the sign welcoming them to the small town, she gulped.

Joshua Hayden was suave and sophisticated, a real business man. He was a CEO for New York's biggest and most well known bank, and when he first met Gabriella, sketching and doodling in a corner of a coffee shop, he fell head over heels and after a month of pleading, she finally agreed to a date. It had been over a year since then.

The BMW Z4 zoomed down the empty street and the trees passed by her in a green blur. The wind ran smoothly through her long hair and whispered against her face, but the uneasy feeling hadn't subsided. She just stared at the familiar shops and landmarks that passed by, her head filling with memories. She rested her hand on her stomach feeling queasy, not from the smooth travelling of the car, but the agitation of seeing the person she had a battered past with.

Did he still live there? Did he think about her? Was he with someone else? Would he even remember her?

She then let out a pained laugh but it sounded more like an exhale and subtly shook her head at the idiotic question. Of course he'd remember. The ridiculous nickname he called her was marked into his skin.

"Wow it's beautiful here." Josh said bringing Gabriella abruptly from her thoughts and she simply nodded giving him a tight lipped smile. "Why you left I'll never know." He chuckled and Gabriella gave him a copy of her previous grin, but secretly prayed his wording would turn out true.

Her stomach was in knots from the thought of her secret being revealed to her boyfriend, but she calmed herself by thinking positively. Glass half full and all that. Maybe she was just worrying over nothing. It had been five years; surely he still didn't live there. But those thoughts halted as they drove past the unforgettable lake and she saw the familiar boat tied up to the dock.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**August 30****th**** 2001**

_The creaky and most likely hazardous boat rocked back and forth and she whimpered quietly to herself, tucking her shoulder length straightened hair behind her ears._

"_Feel the lay of the land she says; get in touch with your new home she says…" Gabriella hissed in a mocking voice hating the current predicament she had been roped into. Her mother had the clever idea that she should take her dads crappy fishing canoe out on the lake and take a break from unpacking. She thought that a boat ride would be just what her daughter needed to unwind, and hoped that the view might change her mind about her new home. Obviously she was wrong._

_She hated her new home, hated it with a passion. It was wet, and boring, and tiny. 336 people in the entire town. How was she ever supposed to survive?_

_It was one of those places you only see on TV. The ones where everyone knows everyone and their deepest darkest secrets. Where you couldn't walk down the street without someone saying a friendly greeting, or stopping you to chat for a half an hour. At first Gabriella didn't mind the welcoming residents but after a while, it just got annoying._

_She had been in Wilton Valley for thirty seven hours and forty-eight minutes- a day and a half if you didn't understand (she had been counting) and almost everyone knew who she was, which creeped her out a little. But she had plastered a fake smile on her face and replied to peoples hellos and welcoming's enthusiastically, although underneath she was hating every minute of it, dreading the next couple of years in the town which didn't understand the word privacy._

_Don't mistake her as bitchy, because she really wasn't, she was just unsatisfied and angry. She had been forced to leave her entire life behind in Kansas and move to some unknown town in __**Alaska**__. You wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine either._

_And the fact that the boat didn't want to sit fucking still didn't revolutionize her distaste for the horrible place._

_She felt queasy and gripped onto either side of the wooden canoe for dear life as the wind rocked it even more. _

"_Need any help?" An unfamiliar voice asked and she looked away from her shaking feet and up at the boy who looked about the same age as her. He stood in a medium sized white boat, turning the steering wheel left to right like he'd been operating the craft his entire life. A green t-top hung above him and a white guard rail lined the front of the boat. It was a lot better then her boat, that was for sure._

"_Uh, no." She said curtly before she heard him chuckle._

"_No?" He asked grinning at her. "Sure looks like you do." He said and Gabriella scrunched her eyebrows at the stranger slightly offended. He only grinned amused as her grip tightened around the edges from the fear of tipping over. _

"_I'm perfectly fine thank you." She said hearing him laugh again._

"_Oh really? Well I guess that makes two of us." He said sitting down on the small white seat and she looked at him curiously before down at the water around her. "I mean, it's a beautiful day. Why don't I keep you company?" He suggested and she huffed._

_What's with all you people? Haven't you ever heard you're not supposed to talk to strangers?" She asked and he smiled again._

"_Well if you tell me your name then you won't be a stranger."_

"_Uh, no thank you."_

"_No thank you?" He repeated light heartedly and she just gave him a pointed look before peering over the side of the boat._

"_How deep is this water?"_

"_Deep." He answered vaguely and she glared slightly. "Why won't you tell me your name?"_

"_Because." _

"_Well that's a very valid point." He replied teasingly and she just glanced at him briefly with a displeased expression making him smile. "Well, I'm Troy Bolton. My grandfather owns the boat rental shop just on the edge of the water. I work on the lake for the rescue squad mainly, but we don't get a lot of people needing help, so I usually just gather the boats or help him in the store." He said and her head snapped up at him._

"_You work here?" She asked pointing down to her feet insinuating the lake and he nodded. "Oh." She mumbled sheepishly. "Well then yes, I would like some help." She said and he grinned._

"_I don't know, maybe I don't want to help you now." He replied playfully and she looked at him with wide eyes._

"_But…you have to."_

"_I don't have to do anything actually." He said stretching out on the seat getting comfortable and she looked at him quizzically._

"_It's your job, aren't you supposed to do this sort of thing?" She asked and he just nodded casually._

"_Yup."_

"_Fine." She mumbled irritated standing up and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll find my own way back."_

"_I wouldn't stand up if I were you."_

"_Where did my ores go?"_

"_Really, you might want to sit down."_

"_Why?" She asked before her foot got caught on the wooden bench she was previously sitting on making a loud scream split her lips as she tipped over, falling over the side of the canoe and splashing in the freezing water._

"_That's why." He mumbled smugly watching her bat her arms wildly and cough out the water. "Okay, just relax, kick your feet." He instructed noticing her bizarre technique of swimming as he made his way to the side of his boat. "Grab my hand." He said and she coughed violently slapping the water trying to stay afloat while staring at his hand confused. "It's not going to bite." He said after a roll of his blue eyes and she snatched onto it, hugging his arm close to her chest allowing him to pull her into the sleek boat._

"_Cold." She mumbled as she shivered, her teeth chattering violently and he ducked his head under the small green canopy grabbing some blankets and wrapping them around her shoulder, rubbing her arms to warm her up. _

"_Just keep those around you and try to keep warm; I'm going to tie up your boat." He said and she nodded as he walked past her, grabbing a tall hook and pulling the canoe to him before tying it to the back of his boat. "So I haven't seen you around before. Are you the new girl everyone's talking about?" He asked laying the hook back where he found it before sitting across from her on the other seat._

"_That's me." She grumbled lightly and he smiled._

"_You have a name or do you just want me to call you new kid?"_

"_No." She giggled shaking her head rubbing her arms lightly trying to rid the chill and he smiled at her laugh, happy she was less defensive. "I'm Gabriella."_

"_Tell me Gabriella where did you live before that has got you so paranoid?" He asked teasingly and she rolled her eyes._

"_I'm not paranoid. I just don't give out my identity to strange guys in boats." She said with a giggle and once again his eyebrow rose._

"_Oh I'm strange?" He asked making her giggle again and nod her head cutely._

"_Uh huh, a little bit." She said teasingly scrunching her nose and holding her thumb adjacent to her pointer finger gesturing the minimum of his strangeness and he chuckled._

"_After I just saved your life?" He asked dramatically._

"_Hey don't use my lack of swimming skills against me." She said and he raised his hands in surrender causing her to laugh again before looking down at her wet jeans._

"_You didn't answer my question." He said and she looked up at him curiously. "Where'd you move from?"_

"_Oh, Kansas."_

"_Kansas huh?"_

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Dalton Highway, Route 10**

**July 2****nd**** 2009**

She quickly whipped around in her seat watching the lake travel farther and farther away as the car continued to drive down the highway. She frowned recognizing that boat all too well.

"Oh my god." She whispered before quickly spinning back in her seat staring out at the road ahead with wide eyes.

"What was that honey?" He asked missing what she had said and she quickly pealed her sights away from the grey pavement and looked at him instead.

"Oh, nothing."

"I think we're almost at your parent's house." He said and Gabriella nodded, her throat dry. "This GPS is so handy. We should get one for the SUV."

"Yeah, sure." She replied absentmindedly looking over her shoulder but finding nothing behind her but the road.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 2****nd**** 2009**

He silenced the loud roar of the lawn mower by hitting the kill switch and shielded his eyes from the light as he looked up at the heavens, furrowing his brows at the cloudless sky. The sun beamed intensely and it warmed his skin in a way he wasn't used to, although the slight Alaskan chill was still in the air and it kept him from feeling overwhelmed by the July heat. He brought his arm to his forehead wiping the sweat from his brow before taking a big drink of the bottled water Mrs Montez so graciously provided for him.

Taking a look at the clean cut grass he smiled to himself before unplugging the green mower from the extension cord and rolling it over to the garage. The Montez estate was fairly big, a two story house with stone and wood paneling framing the outside. Four bedrooms and a huge kitchen. But none of that was near as big as the backyard, which made his job a little harder.

The backyard seemed to go for miles but he was sure that was an exaggeration. The house had a white porch wrapping all the around it and a small swing so you were able to look over the yard and the mountains that lined the horizon. Since Mr Montez wasn't in the best shape of his life, he liked to offer his services, doing such things as cutting the grass or fixing the stove, maybe changing the water cooler every now and then.

David Montez was a person who liked to do things for himself so it was hard to help out, although he knew the husband and wife appreciated it, knowing this because Mrs Montez thanked him over and over again for his generosity. Both of them were a little scared to let Mr Montez near the lawn mower, and taking one look at it the young man in the dirt stained white T shirt and blue jeans could tell Mr Montez had attempted to, considering it took him almost five minutes to start it up, the only reason he got it to work was because he was able to dislodge the stick the middle aged man must have run over, from the mowers sharp blades.

Using the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe away the remainder of sweat that gathered along his hairline, he then skipped up the three steps leading to the porch before sliding the screen door open and kicking his shoes off.

"All done?" She asked and he nodded with a smile. "Thank you so much, I honestly don't know what we'd do without you. Well, I bet David would destroy all my rose bushes." She said and he laughed before sitting next to her at the table.

"Hey!" David Montez greeted the man coming down the stairs. "You all done?"

"Yup. And I told you to stay _away_ from the lawn mower." He chuckled and Mr Montez rolled his eyes. "What did you do? Run over the fire wood? There was a stick lodged in the blades and a little kindle in the engine." He said with a laugh.

"That lawn mower has a mind of its own." He defended.

"Uh huh." He said with a chuckle hearing Mrs Montez laugh as well. "Well why don't you just leave the lawn to me."

"I second that." Teresa laughed and Mr Montez raised his hands in surrender, eyeing his wife playfully.

"Fine I will stay away from the lawn mower."

"Thank you." He laughed. "I think I'm just going to fix the chain on the swing and probably head home."

"Okay sweetie, thanks for coming by." She said waving goodbye as he slipped on his shoes and walked out the back door before she turned to her husband. "Such a nice boy."

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive**

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez **

**July 2****nd**** 2009 **

She gazed up at the house disbelievingly. She still couldn't grasp the fact that she was actually there, but as she saw her old home it all came flooding back. She stepped out of the rental car and felt the gravel beneath her feet making her curse for wearing heels, the tiny rocks making it uneasy to walk. She should have known better.

"Hey babe?' He called and Gabriella looked over at him. "Why don't you go in and surprise your mom and dad while I get the bags."

"Okay." She said smiling at him.

"Besides I want to prepare a little before meeting them." He said and she giggled lightly. For the first time she wasn't stressing about their "vacation."

"Josh, they'll love you. Don't worry." She reassured and he gave her a smile before watching her head up the white wooden steps. Gabriella peaked through the screen door smiling as she got a glimpse of the inside. She forgot about her worries and relaxed once she saw her house, and actually got a little excited seeing her parents again. She hadn't seen them since she moved to New York. "Knock, knock." She called through the screen door seeing her mom exit from the kitchen and widen her eyes.

"Gabriella, you're early." She said slightly panicked and Gabriella looked at her confused by her welcoming. If you could even call it that.

"Well Josh wanted to take an earlier flight; he thought we might surprise you." She said and her mother gasped opening the door and holding onto her arm. "Get in the house." She said and Gabriella was then jerked from her spot on the porch, causing her to miss the blue eyed man in the white T-shirt as he sauntered from the backyard, to the front of the house.

-

-

Josh took in a deep breath as he opened the drunk pulling out two bags, one for him and one for Gabriella. He was extremely nervous about meeting her parents. Gabriella meant a lot to him and he was dying to know some of her secrets. He wasn't stupid, he knew she was hiding something, something that had to do with Wilton Valley, but he tried not to pry. And now he'd be able to see where she spent her teenage life, and maybe get some insight of how his girlfriend became the way she was. Not to mention he had a very important question to ask her father. He just hoped her parents liked him.

"Whoa." He heard someone say and he peaked out from behind the trunk to look at the man with soil and grass spots on his shirt and down his face. "Nice car." He said with wide eyes and Josh smiled closing the trunk.

"Thanks, it's just a rental, but I have a lot more cars back home."

"Really? Dude that's awesome." He said walking around the BMW with adoration in his eyes. "How much mileage does it get?"

"Oh um, I'm not really sure." He admitted. He knew absolutely nothing about cars, except whichever car was highest in demand was usually the one you should get.

"I bet it gets pretty good gas mileage." He said with a nod of his head, grinning charmingly and Joshua nodded feeling a smile of his own appear at his sociability. "Is it an 08?"

"Uh, I think so." He replied unsurely looking at the car and he chuckled.

"I'm guessing it is. I don't think it would be any older then a year." He said and Josh just nodded while he grinned. "So what are you doing at the Montez household?"

"Oh my girlfriend and I came down so I could meet her parents." He replied with a nervous smile and Troy nodded before his wording slowly registered in his mind and his smile seemed to fade away. He looked over to the classy man and squinted apprehensively.

"What's your girlfriend's name?"

-

-

"Gabriella!" Her father cheered wrapping her in a hug and she giggled hugging her father back.

"That was a much better greeting then moms." She said and both father and daughter looked over to Teresa who was peering out the window.

"Huh?" She asked turning away from the window sill and they looked at her strangely before they watched her eyes light up. "Oh well if you're going to be so dramatic, then come here." She said holding out her arms for a hug and Gabriella just smiled before walking to her mom and giving her a tight squeeze. "Where's Joshua?"

"He's just getting the bags, he's really nervous to meet you guys, so please be nice." She said and her father held up his right hand.

"Scouts honour."

"Thank you." She said before looking around the foyer, her joyful smile turning blank although her parents didn't seem to notice.

"Happy to be home?" Her father asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders and she sent him a fake smile and a nod.

"Mhmm."

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive,**

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez, **

**and daughter Gabriella Montez**

**January 5****th**** 2002**

_She giggled as the papers and other objects that sat lifelessly on the counter fluttered to the ground as they clumsily made their way through the house stumbling past the large window which was frosted over from the white snow. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his torso and her hands cupped his neck as he kissed her passionately, trying to make his way up to her room._

"_Ouch!" He hissed stubbing his toe on the stairs and she giggled quietly._

"_Shhh." She hushed in his ear with a giggle before pressing light kisses to his ear lobe and down his jaw. _

"_Are your parent's home?" He asked in a whisper and she nodded her head._

"_Uh huh. They should be asleep by now though." She replied and he sent her a satisfied grin before reconnecting their lips in a heated kiss, but as he felt her push on his chest lightly and unglue their lips he looked at her confused before she dropped her legs from around his waist and scampered up the stairs._

"_Kansas!" He called in a whisper hearing her quiet giggle. All he did was chuckle before chasing after her._

_Running quietly up the stairs he glanced at the closed door of her parent's bedroom, the same bedroom he snuck by many, many times. He grinned to himself seeing his girlfriend quietly scurry to her bedroom and he tiptoed down the hall grabbing her waist making her stifle a loud laugh. He chuckled lowly in her ear before shoving her against the door frame making her grin seductively. His mouth attacked hers and his hands roamed her hips and legs and rear end. Their kisses were soundless, thanks to months of practice._

"_Troy." Gabriella moaned quietly as he kissed down her neck, grabbing her butt in his hands. She bit down on her lip and smiled to herself before pushing herself from the wooden frame and grabbing his collar in both her hands before pulling him into the bedroom making him laugh, and with a soft kick the door shut closed with a silent 'click.'_

_She smiled shyly as he softly dipped her onto the bed before gently laying on top of her, gliding his thumb across her cheek bone._

"_I love you Kansas."_

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive**

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez**

**July 2****nd**** 2009**

Her hand travelled lightly down the white door frame and she frowned sadly.

"Hey there you are." Josh said seeing her standing in the doorway to which he guessed was her bedroom. "This place is amazing." He said and she smiled as he set down their bags and wrapped his arms around her.

"Did you talk to mom and dad?"

"Yup. A whole six words. I think they like me." He said making her giggle. His grin widened as he looked over her head and into the bright yellow bedroom with the white queen sized bed pushed up against the wall. "Was this your room?" He asked and as she nodded he stepped around her and walked into the sunny bedroom.

"Mhmm. In all it's glory." She said and he smiled turning slowly taking in all four walls.

"I can just see you sitting here with your sketches." He chuckled and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Here is when I really got into art." She admitted leaning against the frame as he continued to scope out her old bedroom.

"Well I don't blame you, the view alone makes me want to pick up a paint brush, and you know that wouldn't turn out well." He said and she giggled.

"Why don't you just stick to banks." She advised and he chuckled while nodding his head.

"Good plan. I'll leave the whole art thing up to you." He said and she nodded her head with a giggle. "I can't believe how great this place is." He complimented walking up to her and once again winding his arms around her petite waist. "Your parents even have a gardener."

"What?" She asked with a confused laugh. "They don't have a gardener."

"Sure they do, I was just talking to him outside. He really liked the car. You know, maybe we should get one of those when we go back home."

"A BMW?" She asked and he nodded while waving his hand.

"Yeah, that." He said and she laughed at his lack of car knowledge. "We could sell the Prius, you don't drive it that much anyway."

"Sure sweetie."

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, ****Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 2****nd**** 2009**

He pushed the door open fiercely before slamming it shut shielding him from the outside world. Letting out a distressed breath of air, he ran his fingers through his brown locks before his eye caught sight of the fridge intrigued. The sudden idea of a drink sounded _more_ then appealing to him. With that, he grabbed himself a beer.

With a quick and easy twist a gasp released from the bottle and Troy took a long swig from it, resting his hand on the counter which was littered with different drawings and illustrations, steadying himself as he poured the alcohol violently down his throat.

Why was she here? Why did she have to come back? And why did she have to bring some rich idiot who probably didn't even understand how many wheels a car obtained?

He had loved her so passionately and so deeply it felt as if time just stood still and he was absolutely positive that he wanted to be with her forever. He was young and stupid, and foolish. He'd do absolutely anything for her and all she'd have to do is ask, and he knew that she felt the exact same way about him. Which is why at seventeen he got her nickname tattooed into his chest and at eighteen he had asked her to marry him, leaving a still seventeen year old Gabriella to say yes.

As a love struck teenager he got _Kansas_ permanently inked into his skin in black cursive on the left side of his chest, right over his heart. He was too much of a nostalgic coward to get it removed.

She never liked the nickname and would roll her eyes every time he so much as uttered it. She said that Kansas wasn't her home anymore and her place was in Wilton Valley with him, but he never stopped calling her the pet name he adored. Kansas was where she came from and Kansas was the place that turned her into the girl he fell in love with on the lake.

But if there was one piece of advice he could live by, it was never, _ever _get a woman's name tattooed on your body, for it will just come back and bite you right on the ass.

"Shit." He hissed slamming the glass bottle on the counter and sliding it away from him angrily. "Shit!" He said again in a much louder tone, pushing himself off the counter and pacing back and forth in his house. Two or three years ago he and his grandfather, along with his dad set out to build the cottage-esque home. It was right on the edge of the lake which Troy liked, meaning he could take his boat out whenever he wanted. Not to mention work was only a few feet away. Although there was a couple of obvious downsides to having a front row view to the exact spot where he met the former love of his life. With that thought he stopped in his tracks searching the counter for the red and white box.

Troy liked to believe he had one vice and one vice only.

Smoking.

He had been smoking since he was sixteen, and all the girls just fawned over the filthy habit, except Gabriella of course. She absolutely hated it and tried repeatedly to get him to quit. He tried the patches and the gum, even tried a ridiculous hypnosis tape she found somewhere, but he just couldn't stop. Although he was proud to admit that in the last five years he'd been promoted from a frequent smoker, to a stress smoker, meaning he only felt the urge to light up a cigarette in stressful situations. And now seemed like a pretty good time for a cigarette.

It's not everyday your ex-wife comes back into town.

* * *

**So the original plan was to put this story out **_**after**_** I finished At the Edge of a Petal, obviously that didn't work out lol. I was actually just working on a chapter for a different story when I had an idea for this story so I opened up a new document and started writing. I figured I'd just start the first chapter and keep adding onto it until At the Edge of a Petal was finished but before I knew what was going on I was finished! Lol. I really had so much fun writing this chapter, its pretty different then anything else I've written and I hope you guys really liked it and will continue reading and checking for updates.**

**By the way Wilton Valley is **_**not**_** a real place nor or the street names. I just totally made it up! Lol and the reason behind the dates and places and all that before each scene is because there will be quite a bit of flashbacks and stuff through out the story and I thought it would just help with the time line. Plus it looks cool :)**

**Anyway please press the pretty green button and REVIEW. You can also see a picture of Troy's boat in my profile if you like. Oh and for those of you who like my story Murphy's Law, if you have any ideas don't be afraid to send me a message and tell me them. Oh and for those of you who are familiar with my other stories like Night's Like These 1 and 2 you probably know that I can't possibly write a story without a little humour in it, so I'll try to incorporate as much comedy as possible.**

**Sorry if there's any mistakes and REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW. **

**Love Dani.**


	2. A Glimpse

**Chapter 2: A Glimpse**

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 3rd 2009**

_Thump. Thump. Thump_

The loud bang echoed loudly travelling across the lake clearing the birds that were once resting on the surface of the water; interrupting the morning peace although Troy could hardly care. The loud music that echoed in his ears from the tiny white headphones had made the thunderous roar of the pick sound like an insignificant tap.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

His arm swung back before it swayed back down aggressively, slamming the pointed object into the vacant wood carving it perfectly to create a sleek canoe. His muscles contracted and the navy blue T-shirt, along with the grey sweater hugged his torso, the fabric of his clothing travelling swiftly with each angry movement he made. The white cigarette was wedged in between his teeth and the tinted aviator sunglasses were placed on the bridge of his nose to hide the noticeable bags under his sapphire eyes.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

His knuckles were almost purple from his tight hold around the wooden handle but every so often he'd release his death grip to remove the tobacco filled tip from his lips and let the burrowing smoke echo from his mouth.

The clouds covered the sky, the yellow sun barely peaking over the corner of the fluffy veil. It was only seven in the morning but believe it or not he had been up much earlier, tossing and turning all night knowing she was only a few short blocks away. Finally as the time justified it was morning he got up deciding he would finish building one of the boats in the shed hoping to set his mind on something other then the past. Not to mention hitting the crap out of something could really help his frustration.

"Troy?" An elderly man called confused watching him slash away at the wooden canoe but as he saw the white cord dangle in front of his T-shirt and heard the blaring music from the tiny speakers in his ears he sighed, rolling his eyes at the technology that had taken over his grandson. "Troy." He called a little louder and he watched as his grandson's strikes turned harder and more frequent as a look of despair and discontent briefly crossed his features before returning back to a blank expression, the pained look vanishing just as quickly as it appeared.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

"Son?" He asked softly setting his hand on his shoulder and Troy jumped spinning around and breathing out a sigh of relief before taking out his earphones.

"Jesus, you scared me." He said and the old man chuckled sitting down on the bench near the house.

"Sorry. You alright?" He asked and Troy shrugged.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Troy asked turning back to the boat and crouching down in front of it running his hand along the inside seeing if he got the wood smooth enough before grabbing his sand paper.

"Well, first of all the suns not even out yet and you're wearing your boating glasses. The ones with the extra tint, right?" He asked knowingly and Troy cussed internally.

"What's your point?" He asked not taking his eyes away from his craftsmanship and the grey haired man who was almost the spitting image of the twenty-six year old on the ground, exhaled sadly as Troy vigorously scraped the side of the canoe with the rough square.

"I know she's back Troy." He said and Troy let out a loud breath cursing the small town.

"I figured." He mumbled standing up briskly taking a deep inhale of his cigarette before walking to the ashtray, twisting the orange tinted tip against the glass tray until it was nothing more then a white scrap. "Knowing this place I'm sure it'll be in the papers by tomorrow morning." He grumbled after blowing out the remaining smoulder. His tone suggested he was trying to come off light hearted but it failed. His grandfather just frowned staring at the overused dish.

"You're smoking again?" He asked and Troy turned back to the boat with another shrug.

"I always do."

"No you don't Troy." He replied warily. "I really don't want to outlive you."

"Grandpa-" He started his voice irritated and defensive but he quickly trailed off refraining from yelling. "It's just…I don't know."

"Have you seen her yet?" He asked and Troy just shook his head before sitting next to him.

"No, just her boyfriend." The older man noticed the twinge in his voice that came along with her relationship status making his stomach fill with worry and his eyebrow raise.

"But, that's good right? That she's moved on? Because you have…right?" He asked hopefully. He truly hoped he did. He remembered that time when Troy and Gabriella were so insanely infatuated with one another. They would just lie in the boat for hours talking and watching the horizon. And when she left Troy just…fell apart.

Troy scoffed and stood up from the bench.

"Yeah of course." He said and his grandpa nodded although he didn't believe a word of it. "I mean it's not that big of a deal. Who cares if she's back? She's allowed to visit her parents, who am I to stop her? And if her boyfriend wants to come along then great!" He said with forced enthusiasm as he packed the tools in the red metal tool box. "We were teenagers, it was nothing." He said with a shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders while picking up the end of the nearly finished canoe and sliding it across the grass to store it back in the shack.

"You were married teenagers." He mumbled and watched Troy freeze briefly before picking up his pace again and making his way to the wooden shed. As he shut away the boat he felt the cold sting of his broken heart slam against his chest.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**May 22nd 2002**

_The boat rocked peacefully, the water causing it to sway back and forth. It was tied securely to the dock keeping it in place although it felt as if they were sailing, floating towards the horizon. Gabriella laid comfortably between Troy's legs wrapped up in one of Troy's grandpa's old fishing jackets and a pair of jeans while Troy stayed cozy in a pair of black track pants and a blue hoodie._

_His arms were wrapped tightly around her torso squeezing her to his chest and she folded her arms over his, rubbing the soft skin of his forearm while leaning her head against his shoulder. Sighing peacefully she let her head fall to the right taking in the side of his face before burying her head in his neck breathing in a deep inhale._

"_Troy you stink." She said pulling away quickly and he looked down at her._

"_Well that's not very nice." He said smelling his shirt and she giggled turning on her hip and resting her hand on his stomach._

"_You know what I mean." She said smiling at him before her lovable grin turned into a pout. "When are you going to quit?"_

"_I'm trying baby, I really am." He said and she just smiled softly. It was true. He was trying very hard to give up the habit, which flattered her slightly. She didn't like to pester him so much about it, knowing he was working on it, but she had known people who died from lung cancer, and she didn't want that to happen to him as well._

"_I know you are. I just worry" She replied and he grinned and leaned in to give her a kiss but she giggled and shook her head holding his jaw while leaning her forehead against the side of his face briefly. "Who says I want to kiss that mouth?" She asked playfully mumbling the words lightly against his cheek and she watched his cheekbones rise as he smiled causing her to press a long kiss right below his ear. _

_She watched him roll his eyes making her giggle as he took a package of gum from his pocket and wave it playfully at her. She smiled and turned around to face him, sitting on all fours as he popped it into his mouth and was quickly rewarded with a kiss. He smiled against her lips and let his hand easily dip under the curtain of her hair and rest on the back of her neck. As they broke away she only smiled coyly before turning back in her position in between his legs, using him as a back rest and he grinned and squeezed her tightly smiling into her hair causing her to bite her lip bashfully._

"_I like it here." She declared, breaking the comfortable silence looking out at the setting sun. "On the lake."_

"_I'm glad." When they first met she had hated the lake, her lack of swimming skills forcing her to hate the murky water, but as they spent almost everyday on Troy's boat she began to love the serene feeling and even tried to convince Troy to give her swimming lessons. "I like having you here." He said and she smiled. The lake was Troy's domain; it was where he belonged. She would never see him as relaxed and composed as he was on that old boat he adored. And Gabriella was happy she fit in with his other love. Her being the first one of course._

_Which brings her to his third love. _

_She eyed the sketchpad by her feet and curiosity took over. The last ten months were a dream come true to her. He opened her up to so many new things; fishing and sailing and drawing. Troy loved to draw, but was always too embarrassed to let her see his sketches. He always had a pencil behind his ear and the notepad stored away in the boat, where he did most of his drawing._

"_Can I look?" She asked hopefully bringing the shabby scrapbook to her lap and he grimaced slightly._

"_I don't know Kansas."_

"_Please." She begged swivelling her head against his shoulder so she could look up at him._

"_They're stupid."_

"_I'm sure they're fantastic. Please." She said again looking at him with earnest eyes and he stared at her before the pleading look plastered across her face worked like she thought it would and he cracked, nodding his head allowing her to take a peak making her grin widely and open the tan coloured notebook excitedly but she soon gasped as the black and white pencil sketches of the mountains and the water was unveiled. She flipped the pages looking at his talent on paper with awe. Trees and boats filled the pages along with a beautiful drawing of his grandfather's shop. "Troy these are amazing." She said in wonder and felt him shrug modestly._

"_They're alright."_

"_No, no these are incredible." She said quickly, spinning around to look at him. "Troy you should pursue this."_

"_What? No they're just some stupid drawings." _

"_I'm sure there's some amazing art schools that would love to have you." She said continuing to flip the ivory pages and the farther she got through the notepad the more nervous he became remembering a couple of drawings he'd prefer she didn't see._

"_Okay I think you've seen enough." He stuttered slightly trying to grab the book but she held it to her chest before he could take it._

"_I'm not done." She told him with a teasing smile._

"_Gabriella, really…" He said and watched her expression change from playful to blank and he looked down at her lap seeing she found the drawings of her making him cringe from embarrassment and his cheeks turn pink._

_The pencil sketch took her breath away. It took up the entire page but only down to her waist was visible. He captured a certain sparkle in her eye and made her smile so extravagant. Her hair flowed just past her shoulders and was shaded with dark led. Her body curved in a graceful yet sensual way and he covered her in a tank top and light cardigan. Her favourite cardigan._

"_Oh my god." She whispered staring at it with wide eyes before quickly turning the pages to see the other portraits._

"_Can I have it back now?" He asked pleadingly and she just continued to stare down at the replica of herself shocked, ignoring his plea._

"_Troy…" She breathed hugging it to her chest before finally looking up at him. "You draw me?"_

"_I'm sorry. I know it's kind of creepy and weird but I just…I like drawing you." He said sheepishly and she exhaled sharply as the words left his lips looking once again at the picture._

"_Do you do this all from memory?" She asked and he looked at her embarrassed before nodding and her jaw unhinged slightly looking back towards the sketch. "This is the most…wonderful, most romantic thing anyone has ever done." She said and his eyebrows scrunched confused._

"_What?" He asked taken off guard by her reply as he watched her once again stare at the picture._

"_You make me look so beautiful." She breathed with touched tears welling in her eyes and he looked at her for a moment before shaking his head._

"_I don't do anything. I just draw what I see." He replied honestly and she breathed out quietly obviously moved._

"_Can I have it?" She asked after a pause and he looked at her with innocent eyes._

"_You want my drawing?" He asked surprised and she just nodded her head. "Yeah." He said quickly. _

"_Yeah you can have it." He added thankful she wasn't bothered by the portrayal and she smiled trailing her fingers over the picture._

_As Gabriella stared down at the magnificent piece of art in her hands she suddenly felt a new love for it. A passion sparked inside of her from the beautiful gesture and she found herself wanting to create something so beautiful and touching the exact way he did._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 3rd 2009 **

The smell of bacon filled the kitchen as the sun slowly crept from behind the clouds, dispersing the grey and gloom of the morning whilst stretching across the sky bringing light to Wilton Valley. Mrs Montez monitored the red hot stove as the strips of bacon sizzled and the eggs boiled in the hot water.

"I don't understand the problem." David said sitting at the table spreading out the newspaper in front of him. "Why can't Troy come over for breakfast?"

"Shhh!" She hissed quickly looking towards the stairs. "Don't say it so loud."

"What, breakfast?" He asked jokingly but she gave him a pointed look. "Oohh" He replied to her glare by elongating the word playfully before looking back down to the paper. "You mean _Troy_."

"David!" She hissed again and he chuckled.

"Teresa stop worrying. Gabriella's a grown woman, you don't need to tip toe around her."

"It's just such a touchy subject." She mumbled.

"I know, but it was years ago! Surely she doesn't feel anything for him anymore."

"Why hasn't she come to Wilton in the past five years then huh?" She asked. "I don't want her to think she can't come home, why do you think she doesn't know about Tr…you know coming by here almost everyday?"

"Cause it's not that big of a deal? " He guessed and she tilted her head at him with a raised eyebrow making him sigh. "Look as much as I love Troy, he's in her past." David replied reassuringly. "She's with Josh now and he seems to really care for her."

"Yeah, he is nice."

"Yeah. He's no Troy but…" He replied playfully.

"David!" She screeched and he laughed watching her huff and turn back to her cooking.

Six or seven years ago David Montez would have said he hated Troy Bolton, the man that stole his daughter away. The one who derailed her from her dreams of being a surgeon and set her on a new more creative path. The one who she lost her virginity to and the one she cried over whenever they fought. The same one who corrupted her with thoughts of young love and marriage.

But as he watched her glow in the happiness Troy gave her Mr Montez slowly became used to the fact of a young Troy in his daughters life. He treated her right, which he appreciated and loved her deeply which he always wished for his daughter. But he rarely brought her home on time. That, he didn't like so much.

But in a flash Troy was no longer someone he was just _used_ to. He was family. Married into the Montez clan. He remembered talking about it over and over with his wife. They could have said no, refused to let them marry and since they were underage, the lovers wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

Except move somewhere else. A place where they _could _get married. And because of the fear of losing their children both parents of either child signed the consent form. And Gabriella became a Bolton.

But on that fateful day as Gabriella cried more then she ever had and packed her bags for school in New York, he felt a new sympathy, of course for his daughter but also for the boy who had crumbled when she left him. He finally saw the strong feelings they both felt and witnessed the downfall when Gabriella left, taking a little bit of Troy with her.

Troy had turned sad and disheartened understandably, then angry and loathsome, and then he found himself back at square one: depressed and miserable, spending night and day building his house by the lake.

That's when Mr Montez had enough. He brought Troy into their home and told him to man up, to stop feeling sorry for himself and forget about the entire town who pitied the poor boy. He told him that Gabriella was gone, and it sucked not only for the previous husband but for her father too. They related to her leaving and David along with Troy's father and grandfather took him under their wing and helped him stand back on his two feet, and after a few more months, Troy was back.

They helped him find love in drawing and taking the boat out on the lake again. He started building wood canoes and rowing boats for his grandpa's shop and even faced the town walking down the street with a grin. Plus Mr Montez teasingly suggested that if he ever had to get his mind off of anything, there were always things around the Montez house that needed fixing, and Troy took him up on his offer. After a while cutting grass and fixing hinges wasn't to occupy his mind, but a man helping his family.

Which is why Teresa and David accepted Troy into their house with open arms. He was once married into the family and that's where he remained, although Teresa was always careful of bringing their only daughter up to him, remembering the first year of her absence and the affect it had on him.

And it seemed she would use the same technique with Gabriella.

Being taken from his thoughts David looked up as he heard a knock on the door.

-

-

Gabriella stared up at the white ceiling the duvet covering right past her waist. She glanced thoughtlessly at the clock beside her showing it was only eight-thirty. She barely got any sleep remembering the boat she saw for the first time in five years only yesterday, sitting by the dock rocking gently in one spot just like it always did. Well, that is when it wasn't sailing around the giant lake of course.

'_Maybe that wasn't his boat.' _She thought to herself. It could have been anyone's. Who says its Troy's? She grumbled lightly to herself cutting the act_. 'Of course it's Troy's.'_

She turned her head to the side to see all her posters still hanging on the wall just like she left it, including pictures with her parents and friends seeing the ones of her and Troy were taken down, although a drawing of her with short hair and a cardigan covering her arms still hung proudly.

She remembered the day she stumbled across the sketch and how it made her feel. It was indescribable. Although now if you asked she would simply just say it was a sweet gesture, but for some reason it was so much more. It unleashed something inside of her and had unlocked memories from her seventh grade art class. She always liked to draw, but never took a huge interest in it until that May.

She experimented, doodling and trying to get them to look as amazing as Troy's, and she found she had a little bit of talent, but Troy showed her everything he knew and told her how she could make her drawings even better. And look where she is now.

She looked over at Joshua who was sound asleep before sighing quietly to herself and returning her gaze back up to the ceiling. She loved Joshua, she really did. He was sweet and amusing-not so much funny but witty and he loved her. But he had no real fascinations, no intense passions or sincere interests. She tried opening him up to new things but it turned out unsuccessful. He was horrible, _horrible _at art in any form; he hated the outdoors and found no point in camping. He thought of sports as boring and futile and couldn't stand to pick up a book finding it boring and lifeless. So she gave up on trying to get a passionate side out of him. Something Troy so clearly had.

She wanted to see him. Maybe not talk to him, not knowing where the conversation would lead, or come in close quarters with him because of their unpredictable actions, and not run spontaneously into him on the sidewalk because she was unaware of how she would feel or how she would handle the brusqueness of meeting him again. Just _see_ him. See if he's changed; see if he still looks the way he looked when he was seventeen, if he's with someone else, or if he still has the same fascination with the lake. That was all she wanted, just to catch a glimpse of him out of her own curiosity.

Inquisitiveness seemed to be one of her weakness that morning for when she heard a loud slam that sounded remotely like metal hitting against the tile she rose from the bed and journeyed downstairs.

-

-

"Oh hello Allen." Teresa greeted merrily giving the seventy-six year old a hug.

"Teresa, hello David."

"Nice to see you again Allen. How's the shop?" He asked standing up letting him sit down on the wooden chair before moving to the one on the other side of the table and he smiled gratefully before accepting the seat.

"Oh just fine. Troy's a big help, I'm not as young as I used to be."

"That name's off limits." David said teasingly looking at Teresa who rolled her eyes.

"What, Troy?"

"Mhmm." He mumbled his reply shaking out the paper before redirecting his attention to the black and white newspaper.

"I just think we should try to mention Troy as little as possible around Gabriella." Teresa defended and both men looked at each other amused.

"Well that's probably a good idea. Is she home?"

"Mhmm. She's just upstairs sleeping." Mrs Montez answered and Allen nodded his head.

"I hear she brought her boyfriend down." He said helping himself to a piece of toast that was one of the many piled on a plate in the center of the kitchen table.

"Did Mrs Otis tell you that? That woman just can't live without gossiping." She huffed while picking up the pan, checking on the sizzling strips of bacon.

"Uh no, Troy told me." He replied and the crash of the pan echoed through the kitchen as it hit the floor startling the other two people residing in the room.

"Teresa!" David cried. "What's gotten into you?" His wife ignored his questioning and instead sat next to Troy's grandfather.

"He knows?" She gasped and he just nodded taking a bite out of his buttered bread. "How's he taking it? Is he upset? Has he seen her?"

"No he hasn't seen her yet. He's alright I guess. He says he's fine but I don't know if I believe him. It's always hard to tell with Troy. He says he's not bothered by her coming back especially with her boyfriend, but he was smoking again, and was up around seven AM hollowing out one of the canoes."

"Poor Troy." Teresa cooed standing back up and picking up the pan along with the bacon that had hit the floor.

"Troy's fine." David said with a wave of his hand.

"David he's smoking again, he's not fine."

"You're worrying over nothing."

"Oh my god." The familiar voice rang through the kitchen and Allen looked up at the stairs his smile stretching up to his ears.

"Gabriella! I heard you had come to visit." He said standing up from the chair and Gabriella grinned running down the stairs and giving him a hug. "How's New York treating you?"

"Wonderfully thanks." Gabriella replied before her smile faltered slightly.

"Um, how's…the shop?" She asked cowering away from her original question but Allen smiled knowingly.

"The shops great. It's still right by the lake; don't be too afraid to come by." He said and she nodded with a small smile. "You've gotten so beautiful Gabriella." He said and she blushed shaking her head. "Not that you weren't before."

"Thank you." She giggled. "I heard something from upstairs. Is everything okay?"

"Just that your mother has snapped her cap." David replied and Gabriella looked over to her mom who glared lightly at the back of her husband's head before looking in Gabriella's direction.

"I dropped the pan is all." She said before looking to the ruined breakfast with a frown. "And that was the last of the bacon."

"Well I can run out and grab some." Gabriella volunteered quickly. "Josh and I were going to walk around the town today anyway; he really wants to see the sights. He must have pestered me all night about it." She said smiling at the grey haired man.

"Oh would you?" Teresa asked and Gabriella nodded.

"Gabriella?" Josh called slowly, walking down the stairs seeing an unfamiliar face. "Hi, I'm Joshua." He said extending his hand to him and Allen shook it.

"Nice to meet you I'm Allen. I'm Tr-"

"He's a family friend." Gabriella said quickly watching him raise a curious eyebrow at her while Josh nodded with a friendly smile.

It wasn't necessarily a lie. Allen _was_ a family friend. He was also her ex husband's grandfather, but she liked to keep the information regarding Troy and their past together limited, as you already know.

"It's great to meet you." Josh said and the older man smiled.

"You too son." He replied. "Well I should go; I just wanted to stop by since I heard you were home." He said and Gabriella smiled. "I have to head back to the lake anyway. Where the _shop_ is, as always." He said and Gabriella subtly roll her eyes shaking her head at the old man's not so subtle attempts before watching him skip out of the house.

-

-

"So where are you going again?" Josh asked watching her slip her head through a black T-shirt that accented her curves nicely, topping off a pair of jeans. She sighed as she was getting annoyed by the question and grabbed the brown leather belt from the bed, fitting it through the loops in the dark washed denim of her pants.

"I told you, I'm just running up to the store to grab some things for mom."

"Okay well why don't I go with you? I'll get dressed."

"No Josh, really, stay. You don't have to come. I'll be gone two seconds. Why don't you go downstairs and get more acquainted with mom and dad?" She suggested and he nodded. "We'll go out later today."

"Yeah, alright. But you'll have to show me around eventually." He said wagging his finger at her and she giggled while nodding her head.

"I promise." She said and as she watched him lean in for a kiss she suddenly felt herself panic for an unknown reason and instead pull him into a brief hug. "Two seconds." She promised and he nodded watching her quickly exit the room.

Weird.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**July 3rd 2009**

Her brilliant ebony waves danced lightly in the faint wind and she wrapped her coat tightly around her small torso almost insecurely as she caught sight of him. She stood high up on top of the vibrant green hill, observing from afar as not to be seen and watched attentively, granting her wish from this morning. He changed. His hair was a little lighter then she remembered and it no longer swept over his right eye but was cut short and his bangs instead flipped up in an appealing way.

He chuckled to his father who was standing behind him while reaching out trying pull a boat close enough to him so he could tie it to the harbour. She noticed the difference in his build almost immediately. He was no longer lanky with subtle and slightly awkward muscles protruding from his biceps, but instead he was toned. His arms curved sexily and as he tugged the heavy wood of the canoe towards him she watched it flex making her take in a deep inhale of air.

His blue T-shirt rose exposing the small of his back as he stretched out over the water while his father seemed to be telling him something entertaining or funny considering the amused smile on his face. She then looked to the man standing next to Jack, Troy's dad, seeing the oldest of the three Bolton's who must have joined the duo shortly after Troy successfully managed to grab a hold of the craft. Troy suddenly jumped to his feet and Gabriella felt herself back away slightly at the sudden change and watched him wrap the rope around the peg of the port.

Getting a head to toe view she realized he didn't look much different then the changes she previously listed. He still had the same dazzling and slightly shy smile and his naturally tanned skin still glowed in perfection. And how could she forget his eyes. They still shimmered with the beautiful blue she once loved so dearly. Even from the distance she was currently in she could see the pierce of the azure iris as he joked around with his family. He looked happy, his face showed he was happy, but something told her it was a charade, and it made her stomach twist and turn guiltily.

As she felt her chocolate eyes fill with the familiar sting of tears she blinked hoping to clear them away before taking a deep breath and spinning on her heel making her way to the store telling herself there was no need to stand there any longer. She got what she wanted: a glimpse.

The old man with the blue eyes glanced up at the hill and watched her wipe her face with the back of her hand before disappearing out of sight.

* * *

**This is the easiest story in the world to write! Lol I love it. I start it and I just can't stop. Anyway I hope you liked it and please review.**

**Love Dani.**


	3. Denial

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**July 4th**** 2009**

With a motherly sigh she set the dish full of left over lasagne on the counter before looking out the window and over the yard with worried eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched her son pump his arm back and forth forcefully as he sawed a thick piece of wood in half, never breaking his concentration. He seemed to be in his own little world for the past few days, hardly eating or speaking, fixing anything he could get his hands on, barely leaving the confines of the yard only to get more supplies, and she had a pretty good idea as to why.

Actually, the entire town had an idea why.

"Life jackets are just on the back wall." She vaguely heard her father in law say to a customer but couldn't tear her eyes away from the twenty-six year old. Allen walked to the counter throwing her a brief and curious glance before the smell of cold noodles pulled his attention away. "What's this doing here?" He asked quizzically seeing the plastic container covered up with saran wrap.

"I'm worried about Troy. He's been out there all day building those stupid boats." She replied, ignoring his question and continuing to stress about her son.

"He needs a distraction Laura." Allen told her poking at the shiny surface of the cellophane. "You know how he is."

"Yeah, just like you." She replied dryly and he grinned. "I don't think he's been eating very well, a mother knows these things."

"I'm sure he's been eating just fine honey." Jack Bolton replied coming down the wooden steps from the storage attic with a box full of that weeks latest fishing magazines.

"Jacks right. Troy's been fine. He was a little taken back when he found out she was in Wilton but I think he's starting to cope."

"Cope? How's he supposed to cope? You remember what he was like after she left for New York. He was a mess. He wanted to sell the boat!"

"That was years ago Laur." Jack said quickly. "He's grown up. He knows what he and Gabriella had was silly and senseless and is probably just embarrassed. I mean the whole town is making a big thing about it, how could he not be?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

"Have you talked to David or Teresa?" Jack asked curiously.

"I talked to Teresa yesterday; she said Gabriella's a little reluctant to be home but other then that fine. She really doesn't want to bring up anything Troy related to her though."

"I don't think we should put any boundaries on the past for these kids. Troy's always hated being whispered about and protected, and Gabriella's a very…curious girl." Allen said mischievously, thinking back to yesterday when he saw her on top of the hill. Jack raised an eyebrow at his father before shaking it off as he continued to speak. "When I went over there she was very happy to see me, I wouldn't blame her if she was eager to see Troy."

"You went over there?" Jack asked slightly shocked before he sighed at his intrusive father. "Dad you can't meddle between Troy and Gabriella. If they want to see each other, they'll see each other."

"I know, I know. I just wanted to see the girl, nothing wrong with that." He defended. "They seem to like her new boyfriend, but David doesn't seem to think he's 'the one'."

"Of course he's not. You know how attached David's gotten to Troy. No matter how much he disliked him when he and Gabi were kids." Laura laughed.

"Troy's a Bolton; Bolton's are always the right choice." Jack replied making his wife roll her eyes and Allen pat him on the back. As the door creaked open and Troy came into view, wiping the sweat from his hairline and taking a sip of water the room became silent, and they looked at him expectantly.

"Hey mom, I didn't know you were here." He said and she just nodded clasping her hands together in front of her chest.

"Well your father wanted to stop by the store and I thought I'd bring you some food." She said in a motherly coo before quickly turning to the counter and grabbing last nights dinner. "Troy have you been eating? And I don't mean pizza and take out, I mean actually eating."

"Yes mom." He chuckled while rolling his eyes, but as he caught the stares of his family his amused smile slowly faded.

"I just want to know you're okay." His mother said and he looked at her confused.

"Guys I'm fine."

"We know you are Troy, it's just you've been working a lot lately. Why don't you call up some of the guys?" Jack suggested and Troy shrugged.

"I've been busy. It's summer it's the lakes busiest season." He said looking at them strangely.

"I know but…" Laura broke off and looked at him sympathetically. A look he's been getting a lot lately.

"What?" He asked urging her to finish while looking at her perplexed.

"Well…with, Gabriella and everything." She mumbled hesitantly, saying her name like it was a secret and Troy looked at her briefly before brushing past her heading to the drawer built into the counter and pulling out a new box of nails.

"Is she still here? I had no idea." He lied and the three family members shared a look.

"Teresa said she's going to be here for another week." Laura told him hesitantly and he nodded stiffly staring into the drawer, running his finger over the swirls stained into the mahogany.

"Well, everyone needs a vacation every now and then." He said quietly and his mother sighed watching as he hastily closed the wooden chamber and grabbed the clear container of tiny silver tacks. "These should do. The roof on the house isn't looking too good, and knowing the weather down here it's going to start raining pretty soon, and I don't need to be in the kitchen with water up to my knees." He said with a chuckle making his way back to the door, hoping to dismiss the tense and upsetting conversation.

"Troy." His mother called quickly and he sighed as his escape was interrupted before stopping in his tracks, internally groaning as he reluctantly turned to face her. "Are you at least going to watch the fireworks tonight? It's July 4th, you know the whole town always goes up on the hills to watch. I mean, I'd understand if you don't want to considering…" She broke off and watched Troy stiffen.

"I don't think so." He answered quietly and as she nodded he heard the voice of his grandfather.

"Well if you're fine why not go?" He asked smartly and Troy opened his mouth to reply before it quickly shut.

"Fine, I'll meet you here." He said and Allen smiled at Laura as she grinned excitedly, happy their tradition wouldn't be missing a person. Troy turned on his heel making his way to the exit but as his name was called again he found himself stopping and groaning once more, except this time, it wasn't so internal.

"What?" He asked his grandfather who just grinned.

"Why don't I help you with that roof?"

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**West Benson Boulevard**

**July 4****th**** 2009**

Gabriella wasn't stupid. She knew what they said. She saw the looks she received walking down the street with Joshua's hand in hers. And believe it or not, simply raising your hand in front of your mouth while gossiping doesn't suddenly turn you invisible.

Nor does it make your words unheard.

"_She's back!?" _A large woman hissed to her friend.

"_Poor Troy. Do you think he's seen her yet?"_ A man asked.

"_That's what happens when you get married young." _A woman told her children.

Gabriella's eyes widened as she began to feel trapped in the throng of people, clinging closer to Joshua, who apparently was oblivious to their murmurs too fascinated with the sights of the old buildings and mountains. She had kept her promise and showed him a couple of landmarks and town must see's the day before, but out of paranoia of running into a certain someone, she convinced Josh that they should go home and finish the tour tomorrow.

She didn't know there would be a bigger crowd the next day. News travels fast.

"_You think she's moving back?"_

"_Maybe her and the new boyfriend and Troy can all live together, he does have that big house by the lake…I saw something like that on a reality TV show."_

"_Her boyfriend's kind of cute…if she goes back to Troy I call dibs."_

She sighed frustrated at the crazy theories and questions that buzzed around her without discretion, loathing the rumours that were sure to arise.

"Wow look at these buildings." He said staring at the brick and it seemed the whispers and stares ceased along with the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. She caught her breath, recovering from her overwhelmed state and looked at him before giving him a forced smile. "It's so authentic here. Don't you have a couple sketches of these?"

"Uh yeah, a couple." She murmured relaxing slightly.

"We should come back next summer. Or maybe in the winter, we can go skiing."

"Ugh, it's horrible here in the winter." Gabriella said with a giggle as she thought to herself and Josh just looked at her slightly confused, not seeing the humour but smiled anyway. She remembered the final stage of her teen years in Wilton Valley, living in the cold climate. She couldn't help but smile at her young self whining and complaining about the cold to the point of exaggeration. But it was Alaska! It's fucking cold down there.

She hated trudging through the snow and almost turning blue from the icy chill; wearing thick jackets and sometimes more then one pair of gloves. But the summers she loved and Troy did as well, although he dramatized the heat. Even though it could get a little warm, the residents who hadn't been anywhere but the small town overstated the warmth, marking it out to be unbearable obviously used to the cold season Gabriella despised.

As she heard a voice call her name she was brought from her amusing reminisces.

"Gabriella?" The person called and Gabriella froze recognizing the familiar calling that came as a shocked whisper from behind her.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 4****th**** 2009**

The heat warmed his back uncomfortably as he hammered the silver nails into the roof while his Grandpa told him stories about working when he was his age, studying to be a mechanic before deciding to open the store. Although Troy was barely listening, he was too busy forcing himself into a daze focusing on the tip of the shiny peg inching further and further into the wood as the head of the hammer hit the flat head.

He rolled his head releasing the built up tension in his neck before slipping his shirt from his torso, hating the warming sun. The weird thing about Wilton Valley was the climate. It would be freezing cold in the winters and unbearably hot in the summers which displeased Troy, always hoping that the weather of Alaska would one day find a happy middle.

As he let his shirt rest on the peak of the roof before grabbing his hammer back in his hand his eyes briefly got sight of the black ink on his left breast and he took in a deep inhale, refocusing on the roof trying to terminate the memory before it could flood back into his psyche. Unfortunately, the loud sound of the hammer slamming against the nail and his grandfather's old and slightly boring stories couldn't keep him from getting lost in the flashback.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**3505 Mountain View Dr**

**Inked Tattoo Studio**

**December 16****th**** 2001**

_He strolled towards the building smiling casually as Gabriella talked excitedly in his ear. His gloved hand was tucked away in his pocket and her arm was looped around his. It was Gabriella's first winter in Alaska, and she was less then thrilled about the extreme cold, and Troy just found it __**adorable**__._

_She whined that it was so cold it was inhumane and decked herself out in warm clothes right down to the fuzzy boots. And as he led her through the snowy streets he grinned at her as she kept her Nike jacket zipped up to her chin and her face buried in the purple scarf. It was always really cute when they'd be hanging out and she'd randomly complain about the climate before she'd shiver and cuddle up to him to get warmth and then they'd eventually think of more…creative ways to keep warm._

"_What are you going to get? Do you think it'll hurt? Do you think I'll be able to go in with you?" She asked question after question, the idea of Troy getting a tattoo sending shivers down her spine. "You should get something meaningful. Like a girl in my Social class got a tattoo of her last name in those cool Chinese characters. Or maybe something really sexy like a sun or something on your arm." She said and he raised an eyebrow at her sending her a surprised grin making her smile innocently. _

"_Sexy huh?" He asked, stopping their casual walk to the parlour and she giggled while looking at her feet with a blush._

"_Well yeah…maybe a little."_

"_You surprise me you know that Kansas?" He asked and she grinned at him. "I mean I never thought you'd even approve of this much less get turned on by it." He continued and she giggled while slapping his arm._

"_I am not…turned on." She rebutted sheepishly and he smiled leaning down to press a tender kiss to her lips._

"_Sure you're not." He replied doubtfully, his whispering breath hitting her lips making her blush again, although Troy just mistook her pink cheeks for the cold air. She watched him straighten and grab her hand in his causing her bashful expression to turn back to it's naturally sweet and innocent state making him grin dotingly. "I know what I want to get."_

"_What?" She asked curiously and he smiled taking her hand that was in his and pressing her gloved palm to the left side of his chest._

"_I want it right here." He said and Gabriella smiled at her hand feeling his heart beat from under his winter jacket. "Where I'll always be able to see it." He added and Gabriella's chocolate eyes travelled from her mitt to his blue eyes that always seemed to make her weak. "I'm thinking black ink and maybe have it in cursive, just to give it flair." He said and Gabriella giggled, pushing herself gently against him wrapping her free arm that wasn't tightly held in his hand around his waist._

"_Okay the suspense is killing me." She laughed playfully. "What do you want?"_

"_I'm going to get 'Kansas' written right across my heart." He told her softly and her eyes widened slightly pushing herself away from his intimate hold._

"_What? Me?"_

"_Yes you." He chuckled._

"_Troy are you insane?" She said and he chuckled._

"_Probably." He answered and she just stared at him slack jawed. "But this is what I want, and you can't do anything to change my mind." He said his stubborn side slowly revealing to Gabriella._

"_Troy-"_

"_I've been wanting this for a while Gab, and I'm going to get it."_

"_But that's huge." Gabriella said with wide eyes, shaking her head at the commitment. "I mean a tattoo's like… __**forever**__."_

"_Exactly." He replied quickly and Gabriella exhaled sharply watching him slowly remove his hands away from his chest, although hers stayed in its place on his heart._

"_What if you regret it?" She asked in a quiet mumble and he shook his head._

"_I'd never regret it." He said surely and Gabriella stayed quiet for a second before she smiled lightly staring intently at her hand._

"_Right here?" She asked letting her hand caress the sacred spot._

"_Right there." He confirmed with a nod of his head and as the smile exploded across her face she looked up at him._

"_Now __**that's**__ sexy."_

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 4****th**** 2009**

Troy liked to believe he was a man who kept his promises. And even though he's said he's regretted it, and made an example of what _not_ to do with permanent ink, he didn't think he ever actually regretted it. It was something he really wanted, although he wanted a lot of things at that age.

Like for example, to be successful, to never have an awkward or embarrassing moment ever again, to make a ton of money, to sail somewhere just for the knowledge of doing it-that is if he could ever build the courage to leave Wilton- and Gabriella…

But he was never a guy who got a lot of what he wanted, which never really irked him. So likely, he never really got any of that. Believe it or not, working at the lake didn't provide that much income and working for his grandpa wasn't a huge life dream that everyone envied. Constantly falling on his face and his habit of verbal diarrhoea had kept him from his goal of lack of humiliation and he didn't see himself getting on his boat and going somewhere tropical and remote anytime soon. And then of course, divorce. But he did have his tattoo, something he really wanted…when he was seventeen.

None the less it was important to him. It hurt both currently and whilst getting it, but it was something he got for him. Something he decided he wanted to always remember her by, and it did it's duty by keeping her fresh in his mind so I guess his wish was fulfilled…I guess.

He realized technology had come quite a way and if tomorrow he woke up and decided he'd rather have his chest free from ink he could, but he didn't and he wouldn't. It was his tattoo.

Like he's admitted before: he's just a nostalgic coward.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**West Benson Boulevard**

**July 4****th**** 2009**

"Taylor." Gabriella said with wide eyes, dropping Josh's hand to face her ex-best friend.

"Hey." She greeted softly. "I heard you were back."

"Oh yeah, just…visiting." She said awkwardly and Taylor nodded slowly. "How've you been?" She asked, the surprise of seeing the memorable face of her friend sticking strongly in her mind.

"Good, good." She said with a nod of her head, and Gabriella found herself copying her movements, dipping her head up and down softly, her curls bouncing with each curt head bob with her jaw slightly unhinged.

"That's great." She replied almost out of breath from the shock and Taylor nodded awkwardly once again. Her dark eyes glanced left and right squirming from the awkward run in before she inhaled a light breath of air helping her build up the courage to ask the question most of the town was wondering.

"So have you seen Tr-"

"Mom and dad?" Gabriella quickly interrupted and Taylor looked at her confused. "Yeah we're staying with them." She said gesturing to her and Joshua and that's when Taylor noticed the spiky haired brown eyed man next to her.

"Oh, you must be Joshua." Taylor said quickly, reaching out her hand for a handshake which he eagerly greeted, pumping their hands up and down in a friendly hello.

"Umm, yes." He said raising an eyebrow at Gabriella wondering how she knew his name. Catching the glance, Taylor laughed.

"It's Wilton." Taylor said simply and soon heard Gabriella's natural but nervous giggle while a shade of pink rose to her cheeks, embarrassed by the fact that the "love triangle" consisting of her, Joshua and Troy seemed to be the talk of the town.

"Enough said." Gabriella added making Taylor laugh once more.

"So it's been a while." Taylor said.

"Oh yeah. Tay…I'm really sorry." She apologized sincerely and Taylor looked at her slightly surprised as she looked down embarrassed.

"Oh, really it's fine. We were in high school, don't worry about it-"

"It's not fine. I shouldn't have acted that way…it was just…I was so stupid." She said shaking her head and Taylor smiled lightly before looking down to the ground.

"Really, I'm over it." She said and Gabriella only gave her an awkward no. "So are you going to the fireworks tonight?" She asked changing the subject and Gabriella opened her mouth to reply with a "no" but was interrupted.

"Fireworks?" Joshua asked and Taylor nodded.

"Yeah every Fourth of July the town throws this big celebration with fireworks and food and music. It's a lot of fun."

"We should go." Joshua said to Gabriella.

"I don't think so…" Gabriella said with a shake of her head.

"What? Why not? Come on baby it'll be fun."

"Josh…" She mumbled shaking her head at him.

"I think I heard your parents saying something about it earlier. We could all go." He said and Gabriella sighed.

"You should come Gabi." Taylor said smiling softly and as she took her expression into account, Gabriella found it hard to say no.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go for a little while." She mumbled quietly and Joshua's face lit up in a grin.

"Great! It was nice meeting you Taylor." He said and Gabriella distantly heard her friendly reply. Maybe he wouldn't be there. Maybe he has something better to do. Maybe he wouldn't want to go considering the fourth of July didn't only mark the anniversary of the declaration of Independence.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**July 4****th**** 2009**

He twisted the grey steering wheel to the left making the dark blue truck turn into the grey paved parking lot. Night time came far too fast for Troy's liking but he kept his word and met his family at the store, before he was then volunteered to drive.

His mother left a little earlier going with her friends from the planning committee to set up. They had to make sure everything was in order like the food and blankets and music etcetera, etcetera. So Jack, Allen and of course Troy piled into his Ford Ranger letting Jack have the bump which caused a few laughs and headed for Fairbanks Hill, where the fireworks would be starting any minute.

"I hope they have better food this year." Allen grumbled and Jack nodded in agreement, wedged in the middle between his father and his son. Allen sat in the passenger's seat looking bored as he stared out the window conversing with Jack about last years celebration while Troy remained silent in the drivers seat, and as he shifted the gear into park they felt themselves jerk slightly gaining indication the car came to a halt.

"Yeah what was up with last year?" Jack asked. "Veggies and dip?" He questioned with disgust and Allen nodded his head scrunching his nose before they all climbed out of the cab of the truck. "I talked to Laura and she said no carrot sticks." Jack said causing Allen to chuckle while Troy looked at the unforgettable hill with dread.

For a while he skipped Fourth of July much to his mothers dismay and stayed out on the lake or in the house since his friends were all up at the festivity but the last two years he had sucked it up and trudged up the prickly green to watch various sparks of blue and green and purple light up the sky and last year he even enjoyed himself, but this year he had a feeling Gabriella would be attending. That he wasn't so thrilled about.

"Come on Troy." Jack said looping his arm around his neck roughly making his eyes tear violently away from the grassy mound as he ruffled his hair before releasing him. "Lighten up. All the guys are going to be here, plus I think I even convinced your mom to serve hotdogs and burgers."

"Score." He said sarcastically and Jack rolled his eyes before chuckling and patting him on the back, letting his hand rest on his shoulder as he lead him up to the hill.

"Will you two wait?" Allen grumbled. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Come on old man." Troy called with a laugh earning a glare from the seventy-six year old. Jacks laugh harmonized with his sons as he reached out his hand to help his dad up the slope. Troy always admired how active his grandfather was, it was true he wasn't the youngest guy around and he couldn't do exactly the same things as a twenty year old could, but he did a hell of a job keeping up with Troy.

"Says the one with polluted lungs." He bit back and Troy's laughter stopped as it was his turn to glare.

"Very funny." Troy said dryly with a laugh making the older gentlemen laugh as well.

"You can smell that barbeque from here." Jack said with a watering mouth making Troy roll his eyes before sharing a look with his grandpa as they started to laugh.

"I can see Chad's _hair _from here." Troy replied wittingly making Jack laugh. Chad Danforth had been Troy's best friend since Junior High when they both played for the seventh grade basketball team. He was practically famous around Wilton for his crazy curls that stuck out in an afro. He worked at Wilton Valley Elementary coaching basketball, and cut lumber at the sawmill on the weekends, and sometimes Troy would go down to the lumber yard to help or to the gym to run drills with his best friend. What are friends for right?

He felt he owed Chad a little for the way he acted towards him in high school, and his zombie-like state after Gabriella left must have been less then enjoyable. None the less he put up with Troy, how was beyond him.

"Hey man!" Chad called obviously happy to see him and Troy nodded his head to him in a greeting. "You came!"

"I did." Troy chuckled. "I heard there would be burgers so how could I not?" He asked playfully saying a quick departing to the two Bolton's before stopping in front of Chad hearing him laugh quietly at his previous comment before looking over his shoulder at the assortment of food on the plaid clothed table, while Troy's eyes roamed the crowd.

"She's not here yet if that's what you're wondering." Chad said and Troy looked at him, cocking his brow innocently.

"Who?" He asked and Chad rolled his eyes.

"Don't use that shit on me. I know you've been shitting bricks since she got here. You've been smoking like a fucking chimney." He said taking a sip of his beer and Troy rolled his eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking over to the cooler to get an alcoholic refreshment of his own. Chad rolled his eyes before following his friend.

"Tay said she's coming. Bringing that douche too."

"He's not a douche." Troy replied dryly and Chad just raised an eyebrow.

"You of all people sticking up for this guy? Have you even talked to him?"

"Once." Troy replied remembering his short encounter with Joshua as he grabbed the neck of the frozen bottle bringing it out of the ice.

"Oh yeah? So what's he like then?" Chad asked with a smirk bringing the tip of the amber glass to his lips taking a swig. Troy thought for a moment his blue eyes trailing off as he recalled their first day back.

"A little bit of a douche." He admitted merrily making Chad laugh.

"The whole town thinks he's the biggest priss." Chad said and Troy grinned involuntarily.

"Really?"

"Yup." He said with a smile before watching Troy frown.

"He's not though man. I wish he was. He's pretty cool actually. And he likes Kansas a lot. I can tell." He grumbled. He wished more then anything this Josh guy was what Chad made him out to be. He wished he was finicky and weak or arrogant and selfish, or maybe even poor. One look at the guy it was pretty clear to Troy that he wasn't working on a lake. He didn't seem to have a fault, any that really showed itself anyway. The only thing Troy really had on him was that he knew shit all about cars.

"Whatever dude, I bet he's in the closet or something." He said supportively and Troy chuckled.

"Cross your fingers." He joked making Chad laugh again.

"Troy." Taylor mumbled with wide eyes and he gave her the same head nod he greeted Chad with.

"Hey Tay."

"I thought you weren't coming tonight?" She said.

"Yeah well I sort of got roped into it by my family." He said and Taylor nodded casually before glaring at Chad.

"I thought you said he wasn't coming?" She hissed and Troy looked at the pair confused. "That's why I invited Gabriella."

"I didn't think he was!" Chad defended in a loud whisper and Troy rolled his eyes.

"Guys I'm fine." He said for the second time that day, groaning at the repeated situation. "You really don't have to hide me away. I'm a big boy." He said and Taylor looked him over.

"You are handling this awfully well…" She said suspiciously and he tried not to roll his eyes.

"He's in denial." Chad said and Troy looked at him angrily.

"I'm not in denial. Really I'm fine. I have absolutely no feelings for Gabriella anymore. We're over, it's in the past, she's with someone else now and I'm totally cool with it." He stressed and Chad just looked at him doubtfully while Taylor gazed to her left something catching her attention. "I get that you guys are concerned but Gabriella and I are nothing more then people who _used_ to date. Now we can be friends…or not friends whatever it's completely up to her. Because I'm fine with whatever."

"Right…" Chad said disbelievingly. "That's why you haven't left your house since she's gotten here."

"I've left the house…"

"To get food and nails." He pointed out.

"Still… that counts."

"Sure it does." He said and Troy huffed.

"It does."

"Right." He replied curtly looking past his shoulder as he took another drink of his beer and Troy looked at him frustrated before he found himself chuckling as Chad sung "denial" under his breath.

"Seriously dude. Listen to me." He said with humour in his tone as he grabbed Chad's attention. "I have _no _romantic feelings for Gabriella." He said slowly. "Can you get that through your thick head?"

"None?"

"None at all." He confirmed taking a sip of his own drink before Taylor spoke up.

"Wow, she actually came." She said and Troy followed her stare to see Gabriella appear over the hill, wrapping her sweater tightly around her torso as she laughed with the company around her. She was more beautiful then he remembered. Her hair wasn't short anymore which for some reason had taken him off guard. It was long and in flowing spirals which gave him the sudden urge to just run his finger through the somewhat seductive curls.

She wasn't seventeen anymore, although she hardly changed. She still had the innocent and sweet nature built into her flawless features, and her smile could still light up a room like nobody else's. He found himself resisting the urge to close his eyes and bask in the sound of her laughter, or trail his eyes down her perfect and…developed form. He gulped and turned his back to her not wanting to be seen.

He recognized this feeling. The feeling he got whenever she was around. The feeling he got when he first saw her pouting and whining in the middle of the cold lake and the sensational emotions he felt everyday afterwards. Taking one look at her had brought back five years of repressed feelings and by the look on Chad's face, he knew it too. I guess he wasn't over Gabriella as much as he thought he was.

With a displeased sigh he took a gulp of the alcohol in his hand.

"Shit."

* * *

**I know I've been focusing on this story a lot but don't worry I'm not neglecting my other stories. I'm still working a little on each chapter for different stories, I just get so caught up with this one :)**** I hope you all enjoyed it. Oh and because I'm Canadian we don't celebrate Independence Day (obviously) so I'm sorry if I got it all wrong lol. Please Review.**

**Look out for another update to find out what happened between Taylor and Gabriella**

**Love Dani**


	4. Fireworks

**Wilton Valley Alaska,**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**July 4th 2009**

He looked at the brunette standing next to his ex-wife and couldn't help but notice the way he presented himself. His hair was flawlessly spiked and he wore a very expensive looking jacket over a white button up shirt and shiny shoes that Troy assumed were "in". Troy being a guy, obviously didn't notice those things very often, but he had to admit, Gabriella's new boyfriend wasn't a bad looking dude and just by glancing at the guy, you could tell he was _loaded_.

He then grimaced at his wrinkled red T-shirt and sneakers on his feet before running a nervous hand through his hair-which before he left seemed perfectly styled, although now standing in the shadow of the man that caught hold of the beauty's attention he felt it looked homely and unkempt, like he just rolled out of bed rather then spending an extra thirty minutes getting ready. He figured he should look presentable in case she decided to take part in the evenings tradition, to show her what she was really missing, though taking one look at her he suddenly wished he tried a little harder.

He sighed and tried furiously to rid creases from the shirt before sighing in defeat and scratching the side of his head. And as he shifted his eyes for probably the millionth time so his gaze emitted over her, he didn't see her laughing with her family or searching the crowd, instead he saw her staring, right back at him.

She looked at him shocked, her mouth unhinging faintly and her brown eyes widening in the slightest while he just returned her gaze unsure how to react to the sighting. Should he acknowledge her? Wave or a head nod maybe? Should he talk to her? Or should he just ignore her?

His instincts told him to look away, to pretend the startling eye contact never happened but for some reason all he could do was watch as an unrecognizable look took over her face, freeing the fearful and surprised expression. He felt an odd sense of comfort in her stare, the blank feature occupying her face leaving him worried to her expectations of him, but none the less he was calm; not sure what else to feel. The gaze seemed to last for hours but in reality it was only seconds, and as she tilted her head almost pleadingly, and sent him the look-a look he _did_ distinguish he knew exactly what she wanted from him. With that, he took an encouraging sip of alcohol before handing it to Chad.

They had to talk.

-

-

Taylor had known Troy all her life. She knew everything and anything about the blue eyed man in front of her. She knew when he was happy and when he didn't want to be bothered. She knew his hobbies and interests, and how only a select few were allowed to embark on the leisure pursuits with him. She knew when he had eaten a little too much sugar for instead of being calm and mellow, he'd be bouncing off the walls too hyper for his own good, and she knew when he was hurting.

A couple years ago, he was hurting.

But as time past he slowly got better, with no help what so ever from the town, who judged and gossiped about him mercilessly. Some didn't believe his pain, saying it was a stupid teenage fling and he was only milking the relationships end for sympathy and as a way to get the people of Wilton to resent the Missouri born spouse. Some believed Troy to be guilty of running Gabriella out of town hearing false allegations of Troy cheating and fake pregnancies.

The majority who favoured Troy, came up with nasty accusations against Gabriella; casting her as heartless and slutty. Saying she cut a poor, innocent Troy by the knees leaving him helpless as she ran off to New York with another man. During that time scandalous fabrications circled Wilton Valley and had the town picking teams, but Taylor knew better then to fall for the towns gossip.

She was Gabriella's first friend, well so she thought. She remembered instantly befriending her in one of her many science classes that semester. She felt as if she hit the friend jackpot, ecstatic that they had so much in common. She snapped her up so quickly and eagerly told her she had to meet the rest of her friends but when she introduced a fresh faced Gabriella to the small group of friends it took her by surprise when a certain two had already met.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**McKinley Heights High School**

**September 3rd 2001**

_This is so weird!" Taylor chirped excitedly. "Don't you think? I mean how many girls in this school even care a little bit about math? No less be good at it. I thought only I knew that formula. The principle the teachers use here is so much more work, and a lot harder in my opinion." She chattered and Gabriella scanned the mascots colourful face painted into the white painted brick but when she heard her feminine voice pause she guessed it was her turn to reply._

"_Oh yeah." She said laughing lightly before turning her attention back to her new school._

"_And what did you say you wanted to do after high school?" Taylor asked curiously and Gabriella looked at her with a smile._

"_Well, if everything goes as planned I hope to get accepted into Brown. My uncle took me to a campus tour and it's just beautiful there. And then hopefully go to New York for Med School and study to be a paediatrician."_

"_You want to be a doctor?" She asked and Gabriella nodded. "Me too!" She told her excitedly and Gabriella smiled to herself as she held her books tightly to her chest. "Or a teacher. I haven't really decided yet. But once I get married I want to be a stay at home mom."_

"_Good plan." Gabriella giggled. "But there's no way a man is going to keep me from working." Gabriella said proudly making Taylor giggle. "I'm not getting married until I'm at least out of University. I might even wait until after Med School." She said and Taylor just nodded smiling warmly at her._

_Taylor had taken the liberty of showing her around ever since they collided in math class. Not literally of course, though it had felt like everything halted in a shocking impact once she compared their similarities which caused her to eagerly volunteer to show her around._

_During their time together she had watched her new friend squeeze her way through the school like it was something utterly foreign to her. Her doe eyes gazed over the posters encouraging school spirit and participations in after school basketball tryouts all while clutching her books to her chest baffled by the diminutive dimension of McKinley High._

_Gabriella had informed her a little about her old school in Kansas, so she understood why the big city girl was discomforted by the narrow corridors and low ceilings. She seemed amazed by the classrooms, though Taylor didn't know why until she found out Gabriella's old school consisted of thirty-five to forty students in a large and well lit classroom while McKinley held about fifteen students in a class, usually with only thirteen or fourteen desks. Leaving the teachers-and students, to pray that one would phone in sick or else the last student in would be standing for eighty minutes._

"_I can't wait for you to meet everyone." She said quickly and Gabriella looked up at her with innocent eyes before spinning her head behind her, scoffing in disgust as a boy whistled obnoxiously at her while staring at her backside. She whispered an appalled exclamation of repugnance under her breath before turning her attention back to Taylor. "Ignore him. The boys in this school are sickening. But the guys I hang out with are pretty cool, you'll really like them." She continued. "Just watch out for Chad. He's such an ass." She warned with a huff and Gabriella looked at her curiously before shrugging it off. "There they are." Taylor said excitedly pointing to the group huddled around the lockers and Gabriella hesitated slightly, nervous to the unknowns and fretting the group of friends wouldn't take to her as Taylor so surely said they would. "Guys this is Gabriella."_

"_Hi." She said and they all responded with their own variation of greetings._

"_Gabs this is Kelsi, and Jason and Ryan." She introduced pointing to each person as she said their name but the bubbly girl turned angry as she was suddenly playfully shoved by a boy Gabriella didn't recognize. "And this nuisance is Chad. Ignore him." She told Gabriella and she just smiled recognizing him as the boy she had been warned about. _

"_Chad Danforth at your service." He familiarized flirtatiously, sticking out his hand and Gabriella kept a tight hold on her books, pressing them to her chest as she eyed his hand. But as Taylor huffed and swatted his hand away she felt herself giggle._

"_It's nice to meet you." Gabriella said and he just gave her a head nod and a smile._

"_Where's Troy?" Taylor asked and Chad shrugged._

"_How the hell am I supposed to know?"_

"_Is he skipping again?" Taylor asked disapprovingly. "I wanted to introduce him to Gabriella." She said in a slight whine before sighing disappointedly._

"_No he's here." Jason said. "He was in Chem this morning."_

"_Oh good!" Taylor said clasping her hands together before turning to Gabriella. "You'll love Troy. He's really funny. Although he's hardly here." She said with a critical click of her tongue._

"_Do you mean Troy Bolton?" Gabriella asked quietly and everyone turned to look at her confused as to how she would know the sixth party of their group._

"_You know him?" Ryan asked and Gabriella just shrugged shyly._

"_Oh not really. I just met him once." She said and they all nodded, humming and hawing brushing past the coincidence._

"_So where are you from?" Chad asked leaning his shoulder against the blue painted lockets while peering down at her charmingly and Gabriella opened her mouth to reply but a deep, masculine voice replaced her feminine and quiet tone. _

"_Kansas?"_

_Speak of the Devil._

"_Hey! How've you been?" He asked and she smiled to herself at his enthusiasm as he opened his locker and threw a book and a pen in the metal storage carelessly._

"_Oh, good." She mumbled blushing slightly and he smiled at the news of her well being before slamming the locker shut and leaning against it, unintentionally blocking Chad, his body creating a wall between the brunette and his best friend. This caused Chad to frown and glare at the back of his best friends head briefly, before backing away slightly so he wasn't so close to Troy leaving him next to Taylor who smirked at the interference._

"_Good. So I haven't had to drive out on the lake lately so I'm guessing you haven't been boating." He teased and her jaw dropped playfully as she giggled._

"_Hey!" She whined making him laugh and pushed himself from the lockers. The group of friends watched suspiciously at the duo's flirtatious nature and Taylor studied Gabriella's bright smile as they continued to converse. _

"_I heard Taylor's showing you around." He said and Gabriella nodded her head which Chad quickly used to worm his way back into Gabriella's radar._

"_Yeah me and Tay will show Gabriella here the ropes." Chad added twirling around Troy and slinging his arm over her shoulder and Troy rolled his eyes, playfully nudging Chad, pushing him off of Gabriella._

"_Don't be too surprised if Chad keeps making an ass out of himself in front of you." Troy told her with a laugh. "He always hits on the pretty girls." He said charmingly and Gabriella grinned. Did he just call her pretty? Well I have to jet, but I'll see you later?" He asked a twinge of hopefulness in his voice and Gabriella nodded eagerly._

"_Uh yeah sure." She said slowly blushing at her excited head nod and he grinned._

"_Awesome." _

"_Maybe I'll see you around too?" Chad suggested and she smiled obviously amused by him while Troy rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the shoulder. _

"_Come on Romeo." Troy said dragging him down the hall and as Taylor rose an eyebrow at her, gazing apprehensively at the beaming grin plastered on her face, Gabriella's face went blank and she cleared her throat clearing away the innocent flirting he just distributed. Well, she hoped he was flirting._

"_So where's the English room?"_

**Wilton Valley Alaska,**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**July 4th 2009**

Taylor snapped out of her daze and quickly looked over at Troy, frowning at the turn of events. It was sad really. Back then she had watched as Troy wooed her almost to the point where Gabriella was tipping over weak in the knees. They lasted fairly long together, about three years actually which was a huge surprise to Wilton, estimating the lustful and smitten pair would be apart in a couple of months.

But it soon all went downhill.

And with Gabriella back in Wilton it was as if they travelled through time, rewinding to that dreadful period five years ago. All eyes had been locked on Troy watching his every move wanting to see the reaction and breaking point as they reconvened. Hoping something shocking and treacherous would happen so the women would have something to talk about during lunch and run-ins just to clear away their own insecurities. And the men could feel proud and responsible as they looked at their families and smiled at their well planned success breathing in relief as the spotlight hit someone else rather then _them_ having to recruit to Wilton's chosen indignity.

She hated the fact that Troy and Gabriella were under a metaphorical microscope, but as she watched them catch each others eyes Taylor couldn't help but be drawn into the same anticipation that everyone else had been sucked into, no matter how much she despised the nosy residents and found their expectation for failure despicable. She couldn't resist and she had a front row seat to the explosive and climatic meeting.

But as she watched him take sight of his old lover she found his emotions masked and unreadable unlike most situations. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. It was obvious his claim on his feelings previous were a lie but agony or jealousy didn't appear on his face or in his iris. But obviously he saw no joy in reuniting with Gabriella.

He blinked. Once, twice, three times. Slow and graceful flutters of the eyelids but she soon watched his face tighten ever so slightly and nod in the direction his eyes were attracted to. And soon after, he was passing his drink to Chad and walking out to the middle of the hill, the people around staring confused before their jaws practically dropped when they saw who was also treading to the halfway point of the green.

Taylor obviously wasn't the only one watching the scene unfold. People lounging on their blankets or chatting up friends suddenly stopped what they were doing and eagerly responded to the two divorcee's. For half of a decade they had pondered the truth in the break-up between two of the most recognizable and known people in Wilton. But most of all they longed for the entertainment of watching them reunite and the infuriated affects which would most definitely occur.

But there was no anger. Unexpectedly.

Waiting for the rage to unleash across his face the residents lazing on the hill stared in expectancy, though no shouts were heard from either of the two. Their cheeks didn't burn with fury or their eyes didn't slit into hating glares. They calmly, and nervously approached one another and if it wasn't for their fixed eyes, Taylor would have guessed they were about to walk right by each other as if the other were invisible.

Troy's stomach knotted though he predicted the queasy feeling, but he didn't expect to be glancing at a confused Joshua every couple of seconds before stopping in front of his old flame. He rolled his eyes at her boyfriends jealous persona as he muttered to her parents probably questioning why his long time girlfriend was talking to him- the filthy gardener he first met in the Montez's front yard.

"Troy?" Gabriella mumbled ignoring the stares but when Troy glanced up slightly frustrated the inquisitive citizens quickly returned to what they were doing but kept a prying ear focused on the duo. Gabriella felt a little more comfortable now that most of the town wasn't as obvious but continued to play with the olive green fabric of her long sleeve shirt while refusing to stare into the blue eyes she once loved so much. "Erm…I want to explain." She told him.

"Explain what?" He asked quickly and her vision rose ever so slightly, from her shivering hands to the center of his chest.

"Everything…" She replied lightly and he kept quiet once again looking over the top of her head towards the pale skinned boyfriend.

"I'm over it." He told her quickly, ending it with a shrug and that made her bravely look him in the eye. "It was a long time ago. We were kids…" He said kicking the dirt distracting himself while a relieved smile rose her cheek bones, partly from his forgiveness and partly because it meant she was able to avoid the uncomfortable conversing. Though the grin quickly vanished before he could see and before he knew it she was looking back to the ground.

She let out a stuttered start of a sentence but her mouth quickly shut before scratching the top of her head a little embarrassed. He only raised a nervous eyebrow at her, digging his hands deeper in his pockets praying their conversation would soon end unable to stand the awkward and uncomfortable conversation before she finally spoke up. "There's…another reason I wanted to talk to you…" She mumbled hesitantly and he suddenly became curious, straightening slightly from his insecure slouch.

"Okay.." He replied encouraging her to continue and she rubbed her arms heartening herself to spit out the words. Troy's hopeful heart rose much like his posture as he held his breath hoping she'd say what he thought she'd say.

_I missed you; I wanted to see you;_ but he was wrong.

"Josh…"She muttered and that was all it took before his heart sank but his careless expression masked the disappointment. "He doesn't know about…you and I. And I really want to keep it that way. So…if it's not too much to ask could you just not bring it up to him?" She asked her tone still a quiet mumble and Troy stared at her a little surprised. He wasn't expecting that.

He looked once again over the black waves of her hair and over at Josh with an open mouth, his jaw reflexively unhinging in the slightest. He didn't know. Josh didn't know. But why?

"Uh, sure." He said finally looking down at her taken off guard when he found her staring right back up at him, and not everywhere else like she had been during their exchange. She squirmed faintly as their eyes connected before her gaze quickly shifted to the ground.

"Thank you." She said before turning around and making her way back to the small hurdle consisting of family and Troy didn't waste much time before doing the same. But only one thought stuck with him.

_Josh doesn't know_.

During the entire performance Taylor watched with a trained eye dreading when he'd return irritated and miserable. But when he came back with a smile highlighting his features Taylor stood baffled.

Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

-

-

Gabriella let out a breath of relief as she got a far enough distance away from her ex-husband but her nervous fingers still clutched onto her sleeves as she approached a curious Joshua.

"What was that all about?" He asked glancing over at the man his girlfriend was previously speaking with. He recognized him as the gentlemen he spoke with at the Montez household. But why was his girlfriend talking to him?

"Hm?" Was all she replied looking at him innocently and her mother rose a suspicious brow. "Oh, nothing. Just catching up with an old friend." She lied and Josh nodded handing her back her drink which she gratefully accepted before taking a sip.

The loud 'pop' almost made her jump out of her skin but once she connected the sound to the beautiful fireworks that were rocketing up into the sky she grinned and forgot about the awkward evening consisting of forced conversation, secrets and lies and she instead felt herself reminiscing back to another night.

**Wilton Valley Alaska,**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**July 4th 2002**

_She giggled as she grasped tightly onto his hand and allowed him to pull her across the field, skipping between the groups of people that suited various demographics. The slap of the soccer ball being kicked between the children off on the side blended in with the thumping of the music and the laughter of the population of separate genders._

_Troy and Gabriella had been in the midst of the July breeze for forty minutes, dancing to the fun and festive beats and socializing with the people of Wilton. Both of their parents were already set up at the very peak _

_talking casually with the other attendants but as a way to avoid their embarrassing and uninteresting relatives they decided to find a spot far, far away while they're friends stayed put in their spot near the food table._

"_How about right here?" Troy asked her, stopping their giddy flee but keeping their fingers laced swinging their arms leisurely and she pursed her lips scanning the vacant spot._

"_Will we be able to see the fireworks?" She asked and he nodded._

"_I think so." He answered before grinning mischievously and leaning into her. "It's not like we'll really be watching anyway." He said seductively closing the thin gap between their lips hastily making her giggle._

"_Just lay the blanket down Romeo." She teased and he rolled his eyes with an amused grin before spreading the blanket out over the green and sitting on top of it, Gabriella following shortly after, crossing her legs under her like a pretzel and resting her hands on her perched knees as Troy reached into his back pocket to grab the red and white carton. "When do they start?" She asked eager to see the sky light up in electric colors._

"_Around nine." He answered, his words muffled by the cigarette hanging from his lips while he brought the lighter to life as the flame roared and he shielded it from the wisps of air with his hand._

"_Do you go every year?" She asked curiously and he nodded, inhaling before removing the poisonous teat and hollowing the smoke from his lungs._

"_My mom makes me come." He said with a chuckle making her giggle as well. "If it was up to me I'd much rather be at home."_

"_Why?" She asked surprised. "I love fourth of July. The fireworks, the people, the celebration alone, its just fun." She said with a shrug and he smiled._

"_Yeah I guess. I can see them just fine from my house though." He replied and she rolled her eyes watching him inhale and blow the smoke over his shoulder so it wouldn't seep over in her direction in a toxic and foggy cloud._

"_Well aren't you fun." She said sarcastically poking him in a playful manner and he smiled at her, before letting his weight rest on his right arm as he leaned on his hand, his arm stretching behind her allowing her to lean back on his shoulder._

"_It'll be better now that you're here though." He said as he stared distractedly at the soccer ball bouncing from heel to heel and Gabriella smiled, grazing the side of his cheek with the tip of her nose insinuating a kiss. As he felt the suggestive gesture he smiled to himself and removed the white stick turning his head allowing her to connect her lips with his, and he eagerly replied to her mouths caress. _

_She had gotten used to the smoky taste of his tongue, barely noticing any different, but she still urged him to give up the filthy habit. Even if she found it slightly sexy at times, it still reminded her of the ticking time bomb his lungs were altering in to. He cut back immensely, and even stopped smoking in the truck all together since Gabriella hated it so, but he still craved it frequently._

_She was impressed by how hard he tried to please her by disguising the consequences that came with smoking, compromising by taking off his smoke scented clothing whenever he was in close quarters with her and chewing sweet smelling sticks of gum to rid the sickening smokers breath. A majority of the time, he'd stay out of sight whenever he needed to light up and even managed to keep his teeth shiny and white, how was beyond her but he did. His lopsided grin was always something she adored, and it just wouldn't be the same if it was stained and rotted._

_A loud and booming "pop" filled her ears and brought her out of her thoughts, making her eyes quickly dart up to the sky._

"_Oh Troy look!" She said excitedly and Troy followed her finger grinning up at the sky before demolishing the orange tip of his cigarette against the bottom of his shoe and resting it safely back in the box before ritually popping the stick of gum in his mouth instead._

_Gabriella smiled and leaned into her boyfriend, digging her head in the crook of his neck and he wrapped his arms tightly around her keeping her warm as she peered up into the sky. He played her hair that was thrown up into a small ponytail, little strands falling aside her face and neck while her bangs were pinned back flat._

_He liked it when she wore her hair up and out of her face. It drove him crazy when her bangs were hiding her sight, it was a pet peeve of his, and he couldn't help but reach out and brush it aside not being able to stand the black strands of hair out of place. Gabriella always teased him about it saying he had OCD._

"_Hey, look." Troy said softly nodding his head in a direction and she followed his gesture to the older couple in the fold out chairs holding hands and snuggling under the stars and the sight made her grin widely. "Mr and Mrs. Forester. They've been married for like fifty years."_

"_Really?" She asked and he nodded._

"_She was my fourth grade teacher." He chuckled and her feminine giggle soon harmonized._

"_Wow, this really is a small town."_

"_You have no idea Kansas." He laughed again and she felt her head become drawn back to the comforts of his shoulder._

"_That's so sweet." She said softly, smiling at the couple before gazing up into the colourfully lighted sky. _

"_Ah, you see now I know how to impress you." He said playfully and she looked backup at him with an amused smile. "Fifty years of marriage." He said jokingly and she giggled._

"_That's exactly it." She replied sarcastically_

"_I can't believe I've actually found the key to Gabriella Montez's heart." He continued to joke. "And they said it couldn't be done." He teased earning a light jab in the stomach and a giggle from his girlfriend._

"_Yes Troy you've done it. I hope you know I'll be expecting a proposal now." She replied humorously while giggling and briefly leaning her forehead against his before tearing her eyes away from him, dismissing the amusing exchange and looking up to the fireworks once again. Troy's grin slowly faded as his eyebrows scrunched, his thoughts consuming him so the feeling of Gabriella snuggling further into his arms and grasping his hands so he held her tighter became numb. _

_Marriage. Just him and Gabriella, forever. Why was that so crazy? Why was it a joke?_

"_We should." Was all he whispered into her small ear but her eyes remained glued to the lights, entranced by its colours._

"_We should what?" She asked distracted and he grinned against the side of her head, gently playing with her ponytail._

"_Get married." He muttered and felt her body vibrate against his as she laughed but never looked away from the heavens._

"_Good one Troy." She praised his humour and he frowned slightly while shaking his head._

"_I'm serious Kans, lets do it." He said sincerely and she sat up her eyebrows furrowing as she scanned his features for any sign of a joke, but her eyes soon widened as she found none._

"_Are you insane!" She hissed looking around at the people to see if anyone had heard his outrageous suggestion._

"_Probably." He quoted smiling at the similarities between her question then and the same wording when he permanently marked 'Kansas' on his chest. He watched her crack a small smile, also recognizing the resemblance between evenings before it was quickly wiped off and she was shaking her head._

"_No Troy, this is crazy, we shouldn't even be thinking about this. I mean we're only seventeen-"_

"_So?" He asked quickly. "I love you Gabriella, and being married to you is where I plan to be anyway so why not do it now?" He said and Gabriella looked at him, absorbing his logic. Sensing the slight persuasion he continued. "Just picture it. We could get a small apartment close to the school, and we wouldn't have to sneak around our parents anymore. It would just be me and you Kansas." He said a hopeful look plastered across his stunning face as he watched her bite down on her bottom lip while staring down at her hands which were currently playing with his belt buckle absentmindedly as she mused over the thoughts of a married life before scaling her eyes back up to his and smiling excitedly._

"_Okay, lets do it." She said happily and his eyes almost bugged out of his head at her agreement before a smile lit up his face and he pulled her into an thrilled and passionate kiss._

**Wilton Valley Alaska,**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**July 4th 2009**

She glanced over at Troy momentarily, an eerie feeling washing over her as she threw a fleeted look back to the past before realizing the present consisted of the same hill. She had never been so happy in her life as she was when she said yes to Troy's proposal. The feeling of rebellion and love the only thing in her system at the time as she kissed him under the stars and relished in the romantic setting of fireworks.

She threw it all away. The plan no longer existed. She remembered caring for nothing. She didn't care about ten or twenty years down the road, hell she didn't even care about the next day to come. She suddenly didn't want to become a doctor, or be patient and hold off matrimony vows. She wanted Troy, and that was all really. She didn't need a fancy university or a big city. She was happy right where she was.

Well, for the time being.

It's funny how one person can change your life so much.

* * *

**Why was Troy so happy with the news of Josh's ignorance?? Keep reading to find out ;)**

**Sorry if there's any mistakes and if it's a little short.**

**Hope you guys liked it. Sorry it took me so long to update. Review.**

**Dani**


	5. Chivalry and a Car Ride Home

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez.**

**July 5th**** 2009**

"No it's not fine. Don't they know what this agreement will do to our profits?" Josh asked into the phone that had been pressed to his ear all morning before opening his silver laptop and placing it on the wooden desk. Gabriella however sat on the edge of her bed, her elbows resting on her jean clad legs as she held her chin in her palm looking at the back of his head bored. He had been dealing with how he put it, a "business crisis" for most of the morning pushing back the plans they had made to get some breakfast. "And the rest of corporate already looked over them?…right….of course, why did they sign then?" He asked irritated, releasing an exasperated sigh and Gabriella looked up at the ceiling feeling as though she could let her own sigh loose. "We agreed not to sign those papers…did you remind them of that?… Fine, I'll call down to the Manhattan bank and see what their take on this whole thing is later." He said and the dismissive tone in his voice had Gabriella perking up from her slouched position before this slipped from his mouth: "No I'm not busy; I'll study those graphs right now."

And that had Gabriella right back in her slump.

"Sweetie." Gabriella called quietly standing from the bed. "Josh." She called again and he looked away from the illuminating screen and held up his pointer finger insinuating he'd talk to her in a second.

"Yeah…definitely. Well you can ship them here and I can work on them I don't mind." He said to the other man on the phone and Gabriella shook her head. "Hey John? Can you hold on a sec?" He asked looking over at his girlfriend from the corner of his eye and after he heard the reply he covered the receiver of his cell phone with his hand and turned to a dissatisfied Gabriella. "Baby I'm sorry I know I'm not being very attentive right now but some assholes down at work signed this agreement that can cause us to lose money and I really have to fix it."

"But we're on vacation Josh." She whined and he responded with a small smile. "And we had plans."

"I know sweetheart but they're not going to leave me alone until I take care of this mess. Why don't you go downstairs and talk with your mom-or hey, catch up with some of your old friends." He suggested and Gabriella sighed and nodded her head releasing her tense posture and allowing him to kiss her lightly on the cheek. "Hey John? You still there?"

Gabriella spun on her heel and trudged down the stairs. Typical, fussing over work like usual. Though when he didn't have banks on the brain he was quite affectionate and considerate but when that shiny business phone of his rang, it was like she never existed. She new she couldn't expect him to dote on her 24/7-nor would she want him to, but it would be nice if that phone rang a little less.

As Gabriella entered the homey kitchen and spotted her mom sticking a piece of cookie dough on a shiny silver pan she let out a breath deciding to clear the thoughts of frustration towards him and the men at corporate and instead pay more attention into interacting with her mother.

"Hey Gab you're still home? I thought you'd be out." She said and Gabriella just shrugged her shoulders and sat on the barstool adjacent from Teresa while leaning against the counter.

"Josh got a little caught up with his work." She grumbled sneaking a small scoop of cookie dough before licking her fingertip clean of the yet-to-be-cooked snack.

"Ah," her mother said with a nod, "I know that feeling. Your father used to do the same thing, always cancelling and leaving me to go to those awful house warming parties by myself." She said with a sigh and Gabriella smiled as her mom rolled her eyes. "Don't be too upset, he _is_ a man, these sort of things are expected from them." She said causing Gabriella to laugh and nod her head.

"That he is." She giggled smiling as she leisurely watched her mother's hands as she lined the blobs of dough preparing to stick the treats in the oven. "I'm just a little bummed our plans are ruined is all." She admitted and Teresa looked up from the shiny pan and to her daughter, offering her a warm smile.

"Well, his loss. Only an idiot would rather be working then spending time with _my _daughter." She said in a playful manner and Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks mom." She giggled.

"Hey, if you don't want to be stuck in the house I have a list of groceries that need shopping." She suggested and Gabriella sighed. Why not?

"Sure." It was better then being locked upstairs with her workaholic of a boyfriend.

"Great!" Teresa said excitedly removing the magnet that was keeping the thin paper on the fridge. "I was really dreading going." She added and Gabriella smiled while taking the list from her. "Oh and don't bother picking up anything your dad added. All of it is unhealthy and just adding onto the oncoming hardtack he's sure to have if he keeps eating like he does." She said. "You'll know which items he wants by his chicken scratch writing." She added dryly making Gabriella giggle as she slipped on her jacket.

"Alright mom. I'll be back soon." She said with an amused laugh before stepping over the threshold that lead into the warmth of the Montez household and out into the lazy atmosphere of Wilton Valley.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**2116 Commercial Drive**

**Joey's Hardware**

**July 5****th**** 2009**

Once again Troy was indulged in hard labour, only this time he convinced Chad to help him out. Ever since the unexpected return of you-know-who he had been distracting himself with work, and it was actually paying off. He had finished the boat he had been trying to finish for the past year and eagerly decided to build another one, coming up with thoughts of selling his creations to places other then his grandfather. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a few extra dollars in his wallet.

"Lift Chad." He demanded frustrated as he held one end of the heavy boards of wood.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He asked sharply, bitter from the uncomfortable feeling of the wood flat against his cheek as he tried to complete the task of loading it into the bed of his best friends truck, though the issue of space between the vehicle and curb had them stuck and unable to pivot successfully.

"Well put it in the back then, what are you waiting for?" He asked with the same tone Chad was giving off. His muscles felt sore from holding the stack of lumber for too long but he bit his lip forcing himself not to just give up and let go of the excess weight like his arms were pleading him to.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't!" He replied irritated. "If I turn I'll hit the car." Troy simply rolled his eyes and let his head drop back as the frustrated groan left his lips while he tried to conjure up a successful plan to transport the newly bought wood into the truck without any damage. That was before a familiar face caught the corner of his eye.

There she was, walking by herself down the sidewalk struggling with two full grocery bags. He had successfully talked to her the night before-without the encouragement from a cigarette or the urge to punch someone in the face which was a victory in his eyes.

Of course it wasn't a long conversation, quick and a little awkward. But how could it not be? The last time he saw her specifically was when she signed the papers terminating their marriage. So yeah, it was a little awkward.

"Troy! Are you even listening to me?" Chad asked angrily and Troy reluctantly looked away from a troubled Gabriella.

"What?"

"I said I think we should just pull out your truck and then park it across the street, then we'll move it into the back. How's that sound?"

"Uh yeah good plan. Hey Chad? I'll be right back okay?" He said and Chad almost jumped out of his skin as the words left his mouth.

"What!?" He asked the idea of holding the heavy load by himself baffling and he stretched trying to look over the height of the nuisance that was causing the conundrum and over at Troy, unfortunately he was unable to seek his best friend though his head wildly bobbed from side to side hoping to get him in his view anyway. "Where are you going?" He asked frantically.

"I'll just be a second." He said, gently setting the wood on the wall of the trucks bed and Chad groaned at the unfortunate luck of not being able to the same considering his position.

Troy rung his hands nervously as he approached her, he didn't know why he suddenly wanted to speak to her, nor what he was going to say when they came face to face but his footwork kept steady anyway, placing one foot slowly in front of the other. He learned something, something that sent him over the moon the day before. He learned he was a mere secret to her world in New York, meaning he was fixed on her conscience. And the fact of knowing something so immense in her life and her current boyfriend didn't had him, well…smug. He knew something he didn't, and call it wishful thinking but the fact of secrecy between the two had him thinking Gabriella hadn't completely forgot about her time with him while residing in the small town.

Nevertheless he was reluctant to talk to her, remembering the less then easy conversation that flowed last night at the fourth of July festival. But as he watched the brown bags slip from her arms and the food she had been carrying drop to the sidewalk his pace quickly sped up to be at her assistance.

Who said chivalry's dead?

"Oh great." She whined before dropping to her knees and frantically picking up the groceries she was sent out to get.

"Um, I think the five second rule applies here." Troy mumbled quietly before squatting in front of her and picking up the scattered food items. Gabriella hastily looked away from the ground recognizing the familiar voice and froze when her hearing proved to be true. "And in my opinion anything with a peel is fair game. Banana's, oranges those kind of things." He said standing up once the brown bag had reached its limit and the sidewalk was clear of food.

"Right. Thank you." She replied shyly as she slowly rose with a bag of her own and he only nodded as he eased the brown, paper carrier carefully into her arms so it wouldn't fall again before clearing his throat.

"Just uh, dust that off and it should be fine." He said feeling the pressure to say something before she decided to leave and he winced at his lame attempt of conversation.

"Will do." She giggled lightly and he sent her a nervous grin. She only nodded slowly chewing the inside of her cheek as an awkward silence washed over them and Troy wracked his brain for something-anything to say, though he came up short. "Is that a new truck?" She asked spontaneously and he perked up as the silence was terminated and looked over his shoulder to the navy blue truck.

"Oh, yeah." He said nodding his head while stuffing his hands in his pockets and once again her head swayed up and down in a nod before everything went quiet.

"Well I should-" As she was about to dismiss herself and run far, far away from him a loud clatter interrupted her escape and they both spun to the source of the crash.

"Good news is, I got it into the truck, bad news, I think I left a dent." Chad said and they both blushed as Chad stopped in his tracks and stared at the duo as if he was being cornered by a mountain lion. "Oh, Gabriella."

"Hi Chad. Nice seeing you again."

"Uh likewise. I was just helping Troy."

"Oh." She said interested while nodding her head. "That's nice."

"Uh huh." He said before another silence joined the three and his eyes quickly caught the bags in her arms using it as conversation starter. "Oh groceries?" Was the incomplete sentence he decided to form and both Gabriella and Troy shared an amused smile before quickly looking away.

"Yup."

"I should really get some groceries of my own. I need milk."

"That's the one thing I don't have." She giggled looking into the paper bags and Troy grinned lightly while Chad clapped his hands together.

"So, groceries." He said again and Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly pleased as he stumbled around them heading in the direction Gabriella just came from. "That's what I'm off to do, getting some milk. Troy-I'll see you later?"

"Uh sure." He said, that being the first time he heard of any planned appearances from Chad for later in the day-especially since he knew for a fact Chad was spending the evening working.

"I should go too. I have to be back before supper and if I don't go now I'll be late." She explained and he nodded as she tried to juggle the bags that were weighing on her tiny arms. He allowed her to take a step past him though his innards were fighting for him to offer her a ride. Shaking his head he turned to the truck, closing the end securing the lumber in the bed but he suddenly stopped and closed his eyes while scratching the side of his head with his car key that hung from the silver ring. He was sure he was going to regret it, but he did it anyway.

"Do you want a ride?" He asked quickly before she had a chance to walk away and she quickly looked over at him.

"Sorry?" She asked. She heard perfectly well what he said, though she was full of disbelief by the offer.

"Well, I mean those bags can't be easy to carry and I'm going past your house anyway so I just thought…" He mumbled playing with the keys in his hands and she looked at him before glancing at the truck. The suggestion was very tempting, she really wasn't looking forward to walking the three blocks home, even if it was a short walk. And the bags were heavy…

But then again, a whole car ride with _Troy_? How awkward would that be?

"Umm…" She murmured hesitantly and he raised his hands as if to soothe her.

"Hey don't worry about it; I just thought I'd offer. No big deal." He said shrugging it off though secretly he was embarrassed for suggesting something he never should have suggested.

"No, a ride would be nice." She said timidly, nodding her head and he looked at her in surprise before nodding his head as well.

"Okay." He replied quickly taking in a deep breath. "Oh!" He suddenly grunted realizing he should unglue himself from his stance on the sidewalk and instead open her door. Gabriella grinned at the gesture, taking in the sight feeling as though she had just been thrown back in time.

"You still do that?" She asked him playfully. "The whole gentlemen thing?" She giggled as he simply glanced at his hand that was wound tightly around the handle.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized sheepishly and she giggled again and shook her head.

"No, it's refreshing. Not a lot of guys do." She said and he only sent her a smile before taking her bags and setting them in the back seat allowing her to climb in the truck. He closed her door on his way around and paused in front of his own door, inhaling a deep breath preparing himself to enter the small space and face the unpredictable occurrences that could only come from it. After releasing the calming breath he tore open the door and jumped in the truck.

**Port Lions, Alaska**

**1864 Main Street**

**July 5****th**** 2002**

"_Troy can I please take this off now." Gabriella's angelic giggle rang through out the rusty old truck as she tugged at the black blind fold that shielded her vision._

"_No, you have to keep it on." He insisted with a smile, watching her pout. Last night he came across something so utterly life changing as he held her in his arms and watched the magnificent sight of the fireworks light up the sky. The realization ran through him like the blood in his veins and he eagerly blurted out the idea of marriage to his girlfriend who he'd only been dating for a little under a year. But he didn't regret it._

_In fact he was ecstatic-a little nervous about bringing the decision up to his parents but happy none the less. He was hitting himself in the head for not bring it up earlier, wishing he could feel the ecstasy that his current stance in Gabriella's life provided even sooner._

_He was someone's fiancé. And he loved it._

_He was feeling things he didn't know he could feel every time he and Gabriella would simply look at each other in excitement and adoration, confiding in one another about their fear of each of their traditional procreators and friends reactions. But at the moment none of that mattered to Troy. He was on a mission after a thought that struck him late at night and the small amount of research he received from Google._

_Because she had yet to receive a ring. And they weren't engaged unless she had a ring._

_So because he couldn't afford an expensive and swanky band he searched up local pawn shops deciding he'd surprise her with something that was in his budget, and the closest shop was an hour outside of Wilton, in Port Lions._

_He had never been outside of Wilton before, happily confined in the small town, though his grandpa always made the sixty minute drive to the city whenever he got stock shipments in. Port Lions was usually the place to go if you had a business meeting to attend or were looking for an evening of browsing and the limited stores in Wilton didn't fulfill your shopping quota. Though it was the first time the small town boy crossed the line and drove outside of his safe boundaries and to the city, it was a big and slightly terrifying deal to Troy. Even if Wilton was only an hour away._

_He glanced around the city apprehensively before glancing down at the printed off map leaning above the steering wheel._

"_Can you at least tell me where we're going?"_

"_No, hence the surprise." He replied and she whined before flopping back against the seat._

"_We've been driving forever."_

"_Stop complaining." He told her playfully and he was sure if her brown eyes weren't masked, he would have seen them roll. "We're almost there."_

"_And where's there?" She asked cunningly and he rolled his eyes at her attempts to have him reveal the plan up his sleeve. She couldn't be uninformed of something for one minute could she?_

"_Not telling." He sang making her sigh displeased before she frowned and picked at the cloth covering her eyes._

"_This itches." She whined._

"_Okay, okay. We're here." He laughed as he peered out her window at the old sign advertising the shop. "You can stop bitching." He said and she gasped._

"_I am not bitching. You would object too if you were kidnapped." She said about to remove the blindfold as they were at the mystery destination but Troy grabbed her hands and laughed to himself._

"_I think kidnapping is a little extreme don't you?"_

"_I would have to disagree. Let's look at the facts shall we? I'm being taken to an unknown location, one of my valuable senses has been taken away and I'm being ordered around. All you have to do now is tie me up and demand a ransom and you'd have a full blown hostage situation on your hands."_

"_You're not here against your will are you?"_

"_That's debatable." She teased and he chuckled staring adoringly at her before steering her blinded face in his hands so he could kiss her on the lips._

"_I love you." He said sincerely and watched the shy smile slowly spread across her lips at the abrupt burst of affection._

"_I love you too." She said coyly earning another peck on the lips before Troy bounced from the truck and opened her door, aiding her out of the vehicle before positioning her in front of the store._

"_Okay, you ready?"_

"_Mhmm." Was all she replied and as the mask was lift from her eyes she blinked, getting used to the regained sight before looking around confused. "Where are we?"_

"_Port Lions." He said and she became bewildered._

"_Okay….why?" She asked slowly and he smiled._

"_Because, you're going to go into this shop here and pick out a ring for me to buy you so we can make this engagement official." He said puffing out his chest and smiling proud of his romantic gesture as her eyes went big and a dotting expression replaced her perplexed appearance._

"_What?" She breathed and he nodded before digging in his pocket._

"_I only have fifty-" he broke off whispering to himself as he counted the money in his hand, "seven dollars. But I'm sure you could get something nice from here with that." He said and she exhaled looking at him touched before she set both of her hands on either side of his face._

"_You are the sweetest boyfriend ever." She cooed leaning in and pressing a long kiss to his lips and he grinned, the love struck, Charlie Brown smile slowly spreading across his face as Gabriella laced their hands together and excitedly rushed into the store._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive,**

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez**

**July 5****th**** 2009**

What started as a very quiet and uncomfortable car ride had transformed in a very enjoyable one-in Troy's opinion anyway as he shift the gear into park outside of the two story home. They had broken the silence firstly by bringing up slow topics like the weather and current events happening in the world, but then transgressed into more personal topics like Chad's reaction to the two of them, causing them to laugh and roll their eyes at his obvious inability at handling inept situations, which then transferred into the surprising-for Gabriella anyway- knowledge of Chad's relationship status.

"No way!" She said her eyes wide and he chuckled leaning back in his seat comfortably and nodding his head.

"I swear to god."

"You're lying."

"I'm not!" He laughed and Gabriella shook her head releasing a light laugh of her own.

"Chad and Taylor? But I thought she hated him?" She said and he only shrugged not sure what to tell her. "Wow." She giggled. "Never in my life did I think I'd ever see them together."

"You and me both. But it's been like four years."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." He said and Gabriella just smiled at the match as she leaned her head tiredly against the headrest.

"Are you…" She started before she remembered who she was talking to and quickly broke off feeling embarrassed to ask such a question but he smile and finished the sentence for her.

"Seeing anyone?" He asked knowingly and she just nodded shyly. "Not at the moment. I don't have time." He chuckled and she smiled at him. "It's summer."

"Oh right." She said with a laugh and he just grinned at her as she looked ahead, a relaxed smile spread across her face. He couldn't believe the easy conversation that carried between them; it was as if nothing ever happened. Though he had been careful about his wording, knowing one slip of the past and they would be right back to stage one. "You still have that crazy obsession with the lake huh?"

"It's not an obsession." He defended playfully and she giggled.

"Oh please!" She giggled. "You were basically there every single minute as I remember."

"I think you're remembering it wrong." He replied humorously making her giggle.

"I don't think so. You were so cute, sitting in your boat with your precious sketch pad." She teased and he chuckled.

"Shut up." He replied childishly making her laugh before the rapid knock on the window had her practically jumping from her seat and she twirled in her seat to look out her window and see who the disturber was.

"Gabriella?" Teresa said with wide eyes. Gabriella, with Troy? Frankly she was worried. She didn't like the kind of power Troy held over Gabriella, and vice versa. It wasn't healthy. Not in a relationship, not ever. She let their conversing at the fireworks the night before slide, a simple chat wouldn't have her falling head over heels in love once more, but the sight of them lounging in his truck joking and laughing like they were best friends had her stomach clenching.

She adored Troy, she really did. He was a wonderful person and a hard worker which she and David both respected. She liked him, just not with her daughter.

"Mom." Gabriella mumbled rolling down the window. "Troy was just giving me a ride home, I ran into him outside of Joeys." She said and Teresa absorbed the information peering over at Troy.

"That was…thoughtful. Hi Troy."

"Hi Teresa." He greeted embarrassed just like he was every time he dropped Gabriella off when they were kids and was greeted with her protective father, though this time her mother had his cheeks turning pink as he greeted her with a stiff and brief hand wave.

"Gabriella you should come inside. I have to start supper soon. And Josh is waiting for you." She said softly and Troy glanced down at the steering wheel at the thought of her boyfriend.

"Oh, right.: She mumbled biting down on her lip. "I'll be in a second." She said and her mother looked at her surprised and slightly concerned by her reply before nodding and turning back to the house. Troy, also taken aback by her dismissal of her mother looked at her while scrunching his eyebrows. "Thanks for the ride Troy." She said pushing the door open.

"Yeah no problem." He muttered watching Teresa eye them carefully from the kitchen.

"It was actually kind of…fun, seeing you again." She told him hesitantly and he rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to sound so surprised." He said making her giggle softly.

"You know what I mean." She mumbled playing with her hands and he just nodded slowly.

"Uh maybe we can actually hang out, in a place that doesn't consist of pine fresheners and gasoline." He said and she couldn't help the natural laugh that shortly parted her lips, or the tiny twist in her already knotted stomach telling her to say yes, though the logical side of her told her that, that should be the last of any "hang-outs" with Troy Bolton and instead invest all her attention and interest in Joshua.

"Hang out?" She repeated.

"You don't have to; I just figured since this wasn't the disaster I thought it'd be we could do something else." He said jokingly.

"Thanks!" She said sarcastically making him chuckle, though her amused smile soon weakened slightly but not enough to contract her lips in a frown. "I …don't think it'd be such a good idea." She said softly but the sudden feeling of disappointment that struck had her confused. She shouldn't be _wanting_ to be around Troy. Not anymore.

"Yeah okay. You're probably right." He said quietly and she bit down on her lip before gently sliding from the passengers seat and grabbing the bags of groceries from the backseat. Before she closed the passengers side door she allowed herself to take a second thought on his proposal, hastily weighing the pro's and cons in the short time span before throwing away the logic and answering to the want that itched in the pit of her stomach like she usually did around Troy

"Uh Troy?" She asked timidly and he looked over at her. "My dad's taking Josh out for a boy's day tomorrow." She said with a smile as she rolled her eyes at her father. "No girls allowed. And my mom is working, so really, I'll be all by myself." She continued before once again biting down on her plump bottom lip. "Hanging out sounds good."

"Really?" He asked surprised and she shrugged.

"Yeah why not right? Better then sitting in an empty house."

"Definitely." He grinned. "How about we get something to eat? I know you've missed Wilton's legendary food." He joked considering the eateries in Wilton Valley mainly consisted of irregular health inspections and less then cheery servers.

"Oh of course." She replied sarcastically with a giggle. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is." And with a smile and a slam of the car door, their plans were finalized. Tomorrow.

* * *

**I hope it met your standards ****J and I hope you all had a happy holiday I know I did.**

**I apologize if the flashback was a little random or out of place. I knew I wanted to put it in this chapter I just didn't know where to fit it in. Anyway, please review and I'm sorry if there's any mistakes.**

**Love Dani**


	6. Boats and Burritos

**Hey ujst thought I'd send out a quick message saying I hope you all had a great New Year and New Year's Eve, I know I sure did :) Anyway I hope you like this chapter, I personally _loved_ writing it.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**July 6th**** 2009**

"You're driving out to the city?" Troy asked his grandfather as he let out a short yawn and rubbed the back of his neck, staying comfortable in a pair of black track pants and an electric blue T-shirt as he leaned against the counter in his grandpa's shop.

"Yeah. I just have to pick up a few things, I'll be gone for most of the afternoon….you know how much of a pain it is to go out there." He said shaking his head at the dreaded drive. Secretly Troy was happy he would be out of Wilton, meaning he could take Gabriella out on the lake without any of his family making it awkward.

"Yeah."

"So what are you up to today? Taking the boat out? It's a beautiful day." He said and Troy looked at him before shrugging slightly and playing with the chips in the desk.

"…Maybe."

"I think your father's not working, you could always go over there-or hey come up to Port Lions with me." He smiled at his grandpa's attempts to keep his mind occupied like he'd been doing a lot since Gabriella arrived.

"Actually grandpa, I sort of have plans today. But thanks anyway."

"Oh really?' He asked intrigued, flipping the stool underneath the counter preparing to close the shop while he was away. "What kind of plans?"

"Oh just hanging out with a friend."

"That sounds like fun." He said and Troy nodded with a smile. "So you have an extra key if you want to get anything right?" He asked as they both exited the shop, Troy answering his question with a nod.

"Yup."

"Okay good. Like I said I'll be gone for a couple of hours, your mother wants us to all go out for dinner later…" He said before he suddenly realized something and looked over at him. "I hope that's okay. Or will you still be with your friend?"

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "Probably not if _mom's_ suggesting dinner." He chuckled.

"You're right; she'd probably drag you out of that house by your ear if you were late." He said with his own laugh and Troy smiled continuing their walk to his grandpa's car that was parked not too far away from his truck.

Climbing into the vehicle he told Troy to call his mom and have fun before pulling from the curb and driving off. Troy turned around, looking out over the empty area and grinned as he had it to himself before going into the house to get ready so he could go and pick Gabriella up.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 6th 2009**

Living in New York, Gabriella had a different style then she did during her years in Wilton Valley; obviously her interest in clothes differed from when she was going through adolescence like every maturing individual although she felt like she upped her wardrobe to a higher extent then just any teen in aging, and frankly, she liked her style. Her torn jeans and tight, graphic T-shirts were exchanged for dress pants and a nice blouse here and there after she decided to start dressing for success when she stepped off the plane and into the bustling city. But she knew none of the clothes she hauled with her to the small town would do. Especially if she would be out with Troy.

An outing with Troy needed an outfit that fit spontaneity and modification. She had to be wearing something that kept her comfortable enough to hike up a hill but be suitable enough to suddenly go out to dinner and of course she had none of her "out with Troy" clothes with her.

Of course she had tons of jeans that would suit such an occasion taking over her closet at home of various fits. Skinny's, flared, straight legged. But she had to be stupid enough to keep them refrained on their hangers instead of where they really belonged.

She huffed at her stupidity before continuing to rifle through her suitcase tossing aside the floral skirts and flowy tops. Sighing frustrated that she had no Wilton approved clothes she finally just snagged the jeans she wore the other night to the fireworks from the hamper laying them on the bed before seizing a thin white V neck tank top from her suitcase and throwing the luggage carelessly in her closet finding no other use for it, making a soft thud echo through the empty house. But she was stopped from turning away from her wardrobe as the black plastic bag sitting discretely in the corner of the tiny storage space caught her eye.

Pursing her lips curiously she tugged it from the back of the closet and peered into the mystery bag before she smiled brightly and gasped as she pulled out some of her old clothes. She was thanking the heavens for the sudden change in luck before her heart filled with nostalgia as she browsed through the bag that was supposed to be donated to Goodwill after she left for the city.

She grinned at her previous style choices, and others had her grimacing before her eyes lit up at the pair of jeans she used to favour during her teens. Holding them up, she bit her lip before looking back at the wrinkled and yet-to-be washed pair of light denim lying on the bed.

Oh she was definitely trying them on.

-

-

Her hands rested on the dip of her back as she looked over her shoulder at her backside grinning happily as they fit just like they did so many years ago. Truthfully, she was flattered. Twenty-five years old and the jeans she was wearing when she was sixteen still fit…that was an accomplishment in her books.

God the things she used to do in those jeans. Jumping on Taylor's old trampoline, goofing around on top of the hills by lake and of course boating with Troy. Those were her boating jeans. She smiled excitedly as she took in the final outfit. She had changed into the white tank top that she had chosen earlier and slipped the flat, tan boots over the fitted jeans before putting her hair back in a low and messy ponytail letting the loose curls frame her face. Biting her lip she felt quite pleased with the way she looked and smiled at her reflection before she heard the knock on the door and her eyes widened spinning to the clock.

Slipping her arms through the dark corduroy jacket she took one last look in the mirror before scurrying down the stairs.

-

-

Dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans, Troy chewed on his lip nervously as he leaned against the door frame to the Montez's household waiting for Gabriella to reply to the quick knock he previously unleashed. He wasn't exactly sure how the day would go. They seemed to have fun yesterday on the ride home though he knew there was a very realistic possibility things could turn awkward, right now their current relationship was up in the air. He liked spending time with her…obviously, and hoped to see her more before she left, though at the same time he always had that feeling in the pit of his stomach and the voice whispering in the back of his mind reminding him of who she was, and his past experience with her. The same voice that cautioned him to stay away.

She'd probably be quiet, reserved, her shy side overpowering her openness she once held around him. The time apart much too severe to ever return them back to their previous state.

He was broken out of his thoughts as a happy Gabriella bounced down the stairs with the biggest smile he's ever seen, lighting up as she saw him through the screen door. He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected reaction and pushed himself off the wooden frame.

"Troy!" She said and he gave her a small wave before she tore the screen door open. "Look familiar?" She asked grinning as she gestured to her pants and he just looked down at her legs confused.

"No. Are they supposed to?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"You're such a guy." Was all she said as she brushed past him and skipped down the three steps before standing by the truck.

For a quick second he stood dumbfounded at her eagerness before he quickly snapped from his trance and raced down the steps to get the door for her. Maybe his prediction for the evening would be wrong.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**July 6****th**** 2009**

The music blared through the cab of the navy truck as did the infectious laughter as they sped down the road, Gabriella attempting to munch on the newly bought lunch they picked up at a fast food place with a discarded sign and tacos under a dollar…that's Wilton for you.

No matter the rude, pimple faced service and horrible food the unnamed eatery had been a place both Troy and Gabriella held near and dear to their hearts. The residents referred to the local fast food joint as "that place" not knowing any other entitlement and it was always an automatic solution for their hunger back in the early millennium. They didn't know why they kept returning to endure the awful cuisine, they just had a feeling it would be better the next time around…obviously it wasn't.

"Hey!" Troy said quickly looking at her before steering his gaze back to the road. "Get out of there." He scolded, snatching the bag from her as he witnessed her trying to nibble on their lunch for the last time.

"But Troy," she whined with a small giggle, "I'm hungry. I didn't have breakfast this morning."

"Too bad." He chuckled. "You have to wait."

"Why couldn't we just eat there?" She asked though one pointed look from him had her laughing realizing it was a stupid question.

"Why eat at a gross, old, unsanitary restaurant when we could go somewhere so much nicer?"

"Oh and where is this place?" She asked but she quickly stopped him before he could reply. "No let me guess! Could it possibly be the lake?" She asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Am I that predictable?"

"When it comes to the lake." She giggled. "Do you still work out there?" She asked and he nodded. "My dad was saying you build boats."

"You've been asking about me huh?" He asked with a smirk and she rolled her eyes and nudged him lightly on the shoulder.

"_No._" She said and he chuckled. "We were talking about Allen and it came up." She said and he just sent her a smile.

"So what do you do? I know you're an artist but any specifics?" He asked and her eyes seemed to light up at the question happy he took an interest in her employment. Josh was intrigued with her line of work though never cared to go into detail.

"Well…I dabble in different things." She said as she spun in her seat sitting on her leg as she invested more attention into him. "Right now, I have a great job restoring paintings at an art museum in New York." She told him and Troy's eyes widened.

"No way." He said and she nodded her head as the happy beam remained on her flawless face.

"Mhm." She nodded. "I really like it over there…the pays not that great but its fun. Do you still draw?" She asked and he shrugged.

"A little. Nothing special. So you paint?"

"Yeah, I'm really into water colours right now. Oh! And I'm taking a pottery class too." She told him excitedly, suddenly gripping his arm to prove her excitement and his amused smile weakened slightly as he looked down at her hand that was softly resting on his forearm before his blue eyes scaled back up to her, sending her a grin before looking back over the road.

"That's cool." He gulped watching her grin and nod before leaning back comfortably in her seat while he pulled over next to the curb. As he shifted the truck into park and unfastened his seatbelt, Gabriella eagerly scooted up to the edge of her seat allowing her to peer out the windshield at the lake. She hadn't been there in a while.

But suddenly something else caught her eye. Something that wasn't there five years ago.

"What's that?' She asked pointing to the beautifully crafted building that was a good ten feet from the dock. Troy looked away from his hand that was currently pulling the key from the ignition and over to what had captured his ex-wife's attention.

"Oh. That's my place." He said and her eyebrows rose impressed.

"That's your place? Troy it's beautiful."

"Thanks. Grandpa, dad and I built it a couple of years ago"

"You built that?" She asked in awe and he nodded.

"Yeah, with help of course. It's cool actually, besides the essentials like electricity and the water bill I really only have to pay property tax. It's a steal." He grinned opening the door and stepping out onto the grass while Gabriella just looked back to the house. "Are you coming or what?" He called to her and with a big smile she redirected her gaze to him through the dirty windshield and raced out of the car.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**July 6****th**** 2009**

Her ankles were crossed as she sat next to Troy while they ate the horrible tasting food while the boat swayed from left to right with every tiny ripple of the water staying firmly tied to the dock with an impressive looking knot.

"What are these?" Troy asked tugging at her shoes and she looked down at her feet.

"Boots." She answered inclining her foot that was once resting lazily on the other to model her footwear, not seeing what he was getting at with his question. Turning her head to the right, she glanced at him, just in time for her to see his eyebrow raise.

"They look like fishing boots." He said calmly though her jaw dropped making a smile curl his lips.

"They do not!" She giggled and he nodded his head with a laugh.

"They really do. Seriously, where did you get these?" He asked with another chuckle and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll tell you only if you tell me where you got these." Gabriella said playfully grabbing his bicep and he grinned at her flexing his arm making her once again roll her eyes.

"You mean my guns?" He asked with a cheeky grin

"Yes." She giggled. "If I remember correctly you had arms that looked like two noodles when you were seventeen." She teased and it was his turn to unhinge his jaw.

"Not true!" He said making her laugh even harder. "I had arms like a god when I was in high school. I was a stud."

"_Sure._"She said playfully and she felt the gentle nudge on her shoulder making her laugh. He only grinned not bothering to reply as a peacefully silence swept over them for a moment.

"At least I don't have stupid boots." He mumbled playfully and her laughter doubled.

"I'll have you know everyone wears these in New York." She stated matter-of-factly and he raised his hands playfully though the food he was previously focused on stayed in his left hand making her giggle.

"Well sorry Kansas but your precious New York seems to be stealing some of our fashion tips." He teased sending her a pointed look before taking a bite out of his burrito and Gabriella just stared, her smile weakening slightly as the nickname rolled off his tongue so easily. The one word flooded her head with memories, certain memories that were more then friendly remembrances of one Mr Troy Bolton. "What?" He asked seeing her stare before licking the sauce from his thumb and she only shook her head before staring into her own lunch with a small smile.

"Nothing." She said and he simply shrugged it off before grimacing at his lunch not being able to bare the taste any longer.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore." He said throwing the half eaten burrito into the bag and brushing his hands clean making her giggle and throw hers in the take out bag as well.

"Thank god!" She giggled finally able to stop eating the food he so generously provided. "That tastes horrible."

"But we always get it." He said with a chuckle and she nodded one curt nod.

"Always." Gabriella replied as they glanced at one another before freeing their laughter. Gabriella simply smiled at Troy as he grabbed the paper bag full of their half eaten burritos and set it aside.

"We should take the boat out. I know you want to get out on that water." He said teasingly and she rolled her eyes before a certain memory came back to her, a memory she just had to share.

"Hey, do you remember when you tried to teach me how to swim?' She reminisced and he felt the natural split of laughter rise from his chest.

"One of the hardest accomplishments in my entire life." He told her playfully watching her look at him with fake offence before slapping his arm with the back of her hand.

"You're such a drama queen." She giggled. "It was not that hard."

"Oh please! I thought I was going to have to walk home with you clinging onto me you were so scared." He said and she shook her head laughing to herself.

"For the record I wasn't scared." She defended quietly, smiling at the past and he rolled his eyes sending her a pointed look.

"Right…"

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Wilton Valley Pool and Recreation Centre**

**August 2****nd**** 2002**

"_I'm going to drowned."_

"_You're not going to drowned Kans."_

"_Yes I am, I'm going to die in this very pool and it's all your fault."_

"_You're the one who wanted to come here. Don't put your death on my shoulders."_

"_Troy! Not helping!" With that he let out a laugh as he felt her clutch onto him even tighter. She had been nagging him about teaching her finally how to swim so she wouldn't be bound to the safety rails every time they went out on the lake and after a lot of pleading and cute pouts Troy caved and drove her to the closest pool, knowing there was no way they'd be able to swim in the freezing Alaskan lake. _

_Even if they could he doubted Gabriella would allow it. She'd been in there once, she wasn't going in again._

_Anyway, they arrived at the pool about fifteen minutes ago parting ways to go into their respective locker rooms and meeting by the shallow end. He had been quite proud of her, she very reluctantly got in the water but did nonetheless and warmed up to idea of swimming very quickly…so Troy so stupidly thought it would be a great idea to take her in the deep end._

"_Do you want floaties?"_

"_No I don't want floaties! That's humiliating!"_

"_Cause this is so much better." He said teasingly as he gestured to her current position. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist and her arms locked around his neck too scared to let go._

"_You mean better then giant orange balloons on both of my arms? Yes it is." She replied and he rolled his at her as he kept them afloat._

"_Look, I've got you, you're okay." He said and she looked worriedly into his blue eyes before into the deep water that surrounded her, though she didn't object his gentle reassurance. "Right? So there's nothing for you to be scared of." He cooed and her death grip loosened slightly around his neck making him grin. "Why don't you drop your legs?" He suggested and she looked at him with wide eyes._

"_I can't."_

"_Sure you can. I've got you remember?" He reminded as he wrapped one arm firmly around her waist while balancing them by grabbing the wall next to him as she slowly let her legs unbuckle from around his torso. Her thin legs slowly dropped, caressing his calves in the process almost unwilling to separate from him and once again, he grinned. "There you go."_

"_What now?"_

"_Kick your legs." He said struggling to keep her entire weight in his one arm when she wasn't willing to swim, though with his instructions she had her feet slowly whooshing through the water helping him support her and he smiled._

"_Am I doing it right?"_

"_You're doing it perfectly." He said and the ecstatic smile spread across her face as she glanced down at her moving feet. That was before this came out of his mouth: "I'm going to let go now okay?"_

"_What!? No!" She said quickly once again clutching to him not trusting herself and he rolled his eyes before pressing a kiss to her wet hair._

"_Kansas, you're doing fine. I promise you're not going to drown okay?" He said with a slight laugh. "You're not going to learn how to swim if you hold onto me the whole time…not matter how much I like it." He teased sending her a flirtatious grin as her bikini clad breasts rubbed against his chest and she rolled her eyes. "So just kick your feet and move your arms and I'm going to slowly let go of you alright?"_

"_Okay." She agreed quietly. She slowly and reluctantly detached herself from him and his arm gently slid from around her waist. She studied her arms and as they kept her afloat copying Troy's movements and smiled widely at the process. "I'm doing it!"_

"_That's good baby, now lets work on actually __**moving**__." He said playfully though his teasing couldn't damper her spirits as she continued to grin down at the pool of water._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**July 6****th**** 2009**

She smiled at the memory rolling her eyes as Troy let out another teasing remark about that particular activity they spent together and once again she was entranced, staring at him with awe just like she did when the word stamped across his chest was exposed from his lips. Truthfully, she found it weird that it wasn't…well, weird.

Usually when you reunite with your ex-husband after five years, you'd feel remotely discomforted; guilt, anger, restlessness, and don't get her wrong, all these feelings had filled her system. Gabriella had once dreaded the unfortunate meeting as they drove by the welcoming sign on July 2nd, her first day back in Wilton, and even though their conversing at the fireworks was less then pleasant, and the run in outside of the hardware store was uncomfortable, the car ride home was certainly fun and it was nice to reconnect with not only Troy but the town as well, getting information and the latest gossip about people here and there since her parents weren't as well informed with Wilton's youth as the man next to her was.

"You practically cried until I took you back into the shallow end." He teased and she only smiled not bothering to deny his mockery and instead look down at the shiny white floor of the sail boat.

"Troy? I know you didn't want to hear it at the fireworks but…I think we should talk about you know, everything." She suggested softly and his smiling face tensed as he looked over at her, the joyous smile quickly fading in a thin line.

"What?" He asked nervously. "W-why? I thought we were getting along."

"We are!" She said quickly, her hands once again finding comfort on his arm. "I just…I just don't feel like we should pretend nothing happened."

"I really don't see why we can't. It's been working so far, hasn't it?" He said with a forced chuckle as he pushed himself from his sitting position and onto the dock.

He didn't like to talk about. Not with Chad and Taylor, not with his mom and dad and certainly not with her.

"Troy you don't think this is the slightest bit weird?" She asked quickly turning around as he stepped from the boat.

"No! It's been like old times." He replied hastily and they shared a small smile before Troy shook his head and turned his back to her trudging his way down the dock. Gabriella sighed and quickly jumped from the boat hurriedly catching up with him.

"Exactly. I mean why don't you hate me? Why aren't you wishing death upon me or praying a semi will T-bone my car?"

"Because I'm _not_ a psycho?" He guessed and she rolled her eyes.

"I think we should at least talk about it."

"Well I don't." He said shortly but as she quickly stepped in front of him, halting his stride he found himself sighing.

"Why?" She asked quietly. "I mean…I don't get it-"

"What do you want me to say Gabriella? That it sucked that you left? That I missed you? Well you'd be happy to hear it's all true! It did suck Gabriella, it sucked badly." He said his face contorting in a pained expression and she just stared at him guiltily. "And while you got off easy and left for New York I stayed here in the midst of the rumours and gossip! Putting up with their judgement and fake pity." He said and her soft eyes turned offended.

"It wasn't easy for me to leave you know! If you think I just grew sick of you and wanted to head off for New York you're wrong!" She yelled, matching his frustrated tone and he just shook his head, brushing past her and she threw her head back releasing a groan, suddenly regretting her outburst. "Troy wait." She whimpered hurrying down the dock so she could stop him once again. "I'm sorry okay?" She said her voice cracking ever so slightly as her eyes started to cloud over. She sighed and pressed her hands firmly on his shoulders so he couldn't storm away from her again. "I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I yelled at you just now and I'm so-" She hadn't been able to finish her string of sorry's because as Troy stared down at her thinking about everything and anything that her face marked in his psyche his urge took over his sensibility and he laid both of his hands on either side of her face before he slammed his lips against hers.

* * *

**I know another random flashback! Oh well, I thought it was kinda cute. I want to put a flashback describing Troy and Gabriella's relationship in every chapter and this is all I could really think of for this one without it ruining the central idea around the chapter. Since it was all about Troyella in the present I didn't want to show anything too important from the past.**

**Also when I'm saying Gabriella had already been in the water and wasn't going back I'm referring to when they first met, and she fell over the boat but I'm sure most of you know that I just thought I'd clarify.**

**Anyway, review pretty, pretty please!! **

**And sorry if there's any mistakes!**

**Love Dani. **

**And I hope you all had a wonderful starting of 2010!!**


	7. A Sensual Secret

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 6th 2009**

The light and infectious tune left his pursed lips and danced in the gentle breeze of the Alaskan chill as the gentle slam of the car door interrupted the peace casted over the landscape. The dust that was spurred from the rubbery tires quickly settled and the image of the striking view was clear in sight, though the whistle that drifted from his mouth faded as he looked over the shimmering water noticing the surface was bare.

A beautiful day and Troy no where in sight?

He swivelled his neck to take in the navy Ford Ranger parked next to his own car, curiously gazing at the vehicle as it proved his theory that Troy hadn't wandered from the confines of his home. He shrugged off the abnormality of his grandson's own decision of imprisonment and instead concentrated on the ungodly task of trudging the stock he just picked-up from the back seat and neatly hiding it away in the store.

His feet began to amble up the steady slope towards Troy's house hoping to get his assistance with the cargo and inform him more about their plans for dinner in a few short moments, having decided over the phone with Laura that he and Troy would meet them at the restaurant. Maybe he'd even share the bland story of his trip to Port Lions if conversation was scarce.

As he stopped in front of the crafted door he knocked a rapid knock on the painted wood, checking his watch briefly for the time and calculating the drive to the bistro before simply stuffing his hands in his kaki pockets waiting for the door to swing open.

But it never did.

He stared at the wood confused as to why it didn't reveal Troy's bright and smiling face like it did most days, before he felt himself glancing over his shoulder making sure the boat was properly tied up to the dock. With a stumped crease in his forehead he raised his right hand and knocked casually once more hearing the echo of the steady thump ring through his ears, and surely sound through the spacious house.

He rolled on the balls of his heels after he unleashed the previous knock and looked around to pass the time, but as he still saw no welcoming he grew impatient. He huffed pondering his where abouts before his hand rose to signal his presence for the third and most likely final time since he decided he'd give up if there was still no answer, though before he could complete the sturdy bang the door swung open and a breathless Troy looked at him with wide eyes, sporting only a pair of jeans and a messy hairdo.

"Finally." The older man chuckled and Troy stared at his grandfather as he swallowed the lump in his dry throat before peaking his head from the threshold of his abode and scanning the premises for any other familiar faces, breathing out relieved once he found none. He turned his attention back to the role model in front of him and reluctantly replied to his chipper and playful greeting.

"…Hey. You-re-uh, you're back early."

"Yeah, not too many cars on the road today. Were you sleeping?" He asked curiously looking his structure up and down taking in his current appearance perplexed.

"Uh…yeah. Sleeping." He mumbled rubbing the back of his neck before peaking into the house and silently stepping onto the porch, closing the door behind him making Allen look at him strangely.

"Why are you out of breath? Are you sick?"

"Hm?" He mumbled looking him in the eye with a sense of faux ignorance, his blue eyes screaming innocence though his thoughts were whispering anything but.

After a small laugh at his small mumble he looked at him strangely before repeating. "I asked if you were sick. You look flustered."

"Oh…no." He said gulping once again as his iris remained wide and pure. "I was just…running."

"Running? I thought-"

"Sleeping, then running." He quickly covered though his voice wavered in an unmistakable stutter as his face read unease and his body twitched. "I uh was just laying in bed all day and I thought why not…run on the spot." He said but soon cringed at the horrible excuse.

"Right…" He said, and once again the elderly chuckle filled Troy's ears. But as Troy's hand subtly rubbed his swollen lips in attempts to hide the unmistakable red that could only come from the heat of another pair, and his caramel locks stuck in different directions from the cause of wandering hands and gentle tugs, Allen was no longer smiling warmly at his only grandchild, instead he paled as the unmistakable pieces of the scandalous puzzle suddenly fit together.

His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed.

"Oh!" He suddenly yelped backing away on impulse and Troy sucked in a breath as he held out his hands in front of him as if to halt his thoughts.

"It's not-"

"Oh my god!" He said his jaw seemingly unable to hinge itself back into a proper state as he stared at Troy astonished. "Oh Troy I'm so sorry-I…I didn't know-"

"No grandpa-" He started with urgency.

"Don't worry Troy, I was young once too." He said with a light pant from the shock of it all. Of course he knew Troy had women to keep him company every once in a while, he was a man after all and most of the eligible women in Wilton had a certain attraction to the twenty-six year old, but never had he disturbed Troy during an…encounter with a lady friend. "Oh my god. Your friend…" He suddenly shuddered and Troy's already red cheeks turned bright scarlet. "I'll uh…leave you to it, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You weren't-"

"I'll just tell your mother you can't make it to dinner." He said before spinning quickly on his heel and stumbling down the stairs making a quick escape to his car while a mortified groan split from Troy's lips before he hid back in the house but not before mumbling a sarcastic "great" under his previously jagged breath.

-

-

Covered by the over-sized plaid she tip toed over the hardwood, following the path of discarded clothes and picking up whichever items belonged to her; grimacing as she shamefully snatched her previously forgotten panties from the cold floor.

Running a hand through her tussled hair she sighed before scolding her corruptible nature. She wished she could say she resisted, pushed away or told him no, but she needed no spurs to prick the sides of her intent. She was nothing more then weak and able once his soft lips crashed onto hers, she had no control over her sturdy arms as they slithered from his muscular shoulders and instead recruited tightly around his neck because all she could do was melt into a foolish, pathetic puddle of goo.

She wished she could blame intoxication or emotional instability-or even peg the culpability on him, insisting he coaxed her into his bed and refused to take no as an answer, but in reality he was slow and careful, leaving her plenty of time to object but not once did she remind him how wrong their actions were. All she could do was eagerly follow wherever he led, as long as his lips soft caresses and tingling hands would be the reward.

She wished for a lot of things that day…

But most of all, she wished she didn't have the indescribable wish to do it again.

'_Gabriella, Joshua!' _She basically screamed to herself shuddering as his face came into mind. Should she confess? Should she admit to the mistake her and Troy so zealously stumbled into when alcohol or vulnerability never came into play? When nothing was to fault but her own stupidity?

She shook her head before pressing her fingers firmly to her tense forehead. Of course she'd tell him. She was his girlfriend, his girlfriend who he loved and respected and deserved to know the truth. Yes. Honesty was the best policy.

Although…

What Josh didn't know surely wouldn't hurt him. If she loved Josh shouldn't she not want to cause him pain? Maybe she should just leave the thoughts of Troy's muscular biceps squeezing her tightly as they played naughtily under the pale blue sheets to herself. Leave the feeling of her head spinning and the simplicity of moaning his name a sensual secret. Josh didn't need to know. It was a one time fault and never would she be pleading underneath him for more ever again.

…Right?

"Hey." The hesitant and husky greeting rang through her ears and she felt herself gulp at the hoarse voice, her stomach dropping ten stories as her body stiffened.

"Hi." She replied in a whisper while securely fastening the button to her jeans before bravely turning to face him.

He laid stiffly against the doorframe still only wearing the loose denim around his waist and muscular calves.

"Kan-Gabriella." He corrected his wording quickly once he saw her squirm and pushed his body from the structure of the rooms threshold. "I _never_, thought this would happen when I asked if-"

"I know." She said sending him a small smile as he looked at her relieved before releasing a silent exhale. She only sucked in a deep breath as her fingers danced over the now neatly folded cloth on the bed before picking it up in her hands and handing him his shirt silently watching as he reluctantly accepted after staring her straight in the eye. "I should…" She mumbled gesturing to the door.

"You don't have to go." He said quickly and watched her shoulders slump and her head tilt as she sent him a pointed, yet sad look.

"Troy, you know I do." She whimpered slightly and he only sighed flopping against the wall and staring down at the striped pattern imprinted on his folded shirt.

"You really like this guy huh?" He asked not removing his blue eyes from the red cloth in his rough hands and Gabriella stayed silent. Her soundless response gave him his answer and he shifted in his spot uncomfortably before hesitantly asking: "Does he treat you right?" Glancing up into her eyes he watched a thin line of tears cloud her irises and she sent him a watery smile before nodding. "Good." He said curtly and she sighed placing her hand over the black ink on his chest.

"You're always looking out for me Troy." She mumbled frowning at the ink, her hand slowly caressing his chest. His round shoulder rose in a light shrug as her hand burned through his skin, though he desperately tried not to reveal the sensation her simple touch created.

Breathing in deeply as she felt his sturdy left breast and the muscles that stretched along his torso she suddenly realized the intimacy of her actions and immediately removed her hand, her eyes darting up to his. "I should really go." She said as she forced herself away from him and stumbled clumsily to the doorway stuttering and red-faced. "Uh-I'm sorry, I just..have to…um thank you though, that was…." She broke off gesturing to the bed with scrunched eyebrows before groaning and scurrying out of the room making Troy smile to himself and glance down once again at the shirt in his hands.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 6th 2009**

He watched slightly frustrated as his girlfriends father smugly retrieved two of his cards and added them to his pile that was stacked tauntingly high.

"Do you have a…three?" Josh asked narrowing his eyes at his current competitor watching as a sly smirk graced David's lips.

"Go. Fish." He said triumphantly and Joshua groaned loudly picking up a card from the deck and adding it to his many others.

Joshua Hayden had this indescribable need to be the best. He had to win. Had to get the latest and greatest and always had to come out on top and victorious. He couldn't describe it, he tried not to acknowledge it, but he just _had_ to.

He was used to being good at everything, winning the simplest to the most difficult situations, though fate was not on his side that day as Mr Montez once again called a winning card.

"Do you have any eights?" He asked and with a huff Josh slammed the card on the table making a triumphant chuckle came from David's lips as he joyfully piled them neatly onto his ever growing pile. Though he was breathing a sigh of relief as a distraction occurred, bringing him away briefly from his losing streak as the door slowly creaked open revealing a guilty Gabriella, though Josh never noticed too relieved to be able to excuse himself from the humiliation of losing.

"Hey you're home." He said happily before looking back to his opponent. "How about we take a break?" He suggested eagerly and David smirked at him before nodding.

"Alright, but after we're picking up right where we left off." He said and Josh did his best not to let the fake smile falter before bouncing out of the wooden chair.

"I missed you today. Did you have fun with your friend?" He asked her and she stared at him for a short second her voice caught in her throat. Could he smell Troy's delicious smelling cologne? Could he see where he touched and kissed her? Could he hear the replaying moans echoing through her head? Her conscience started battling with her fright as he smiled warmly down at her, resting his hand gently on her elbow and finally, she nodded and sent him a forced smile.

"Mhm." She mumbled trying not to crumble as her dread won.

"That's great. You should play cards with us." He said pointing to the table. "We can start over we'll deal you in." He said and David rolled his eyes while Gabriella shook her head slowly.

"Uh no." She croaked. "I'm going to have a shower." She said and Josh looked at her curiously before nodding shrugging it off.

"Okay sweetie. Just hurry back." He said and Gabriella quickly nodded before scurrying up the stairs so he couldn't see her wet eyes.

Mr Montez also not noticing his daughters odd behaviour only smirked as Josh looked longingly towards the stairs not wanting to return to the game he now hated. "Come on Hayden. You can't run from me forever."

-

-

The water trailed down her face and shamed structure though she was numb to the feeling of the droplets washing away any evidence of Troy Bolton on her. Her eyes stared blankly at the red shower curtain hiding her pained, nude body.

She had betrayed Josh; had taken advantage of Troy and ruined her reputation as the perfect girlfriend even if Josh hadn't the slightest clue who she was truly with that afternoon. Her heart tugged in her chest and her silent tears blended with the pouring water that surrounded her.

It wasn't even the fact of sleeping with Troy, it was how much she enjoyed it, how much she urged him to continue, how much relief she felt to be back in his arms, those things had her feeling like she deceived Josh more then a one night stand ever could have.

She missed the way Troy hugged her and kissed her-made love to her. Called her by the infamous nickname and more importantly, just cared for her. She had gone so long believing Troy had a strong distaste for her-which she really didn't blame him for, but he didn't. Because that wasn't who Troy was.

She let out a choked sob that was easily drowned out by the pitter patter of the water before she hugged her exposed torso trying to shun the memories from ever replaying in her psyche again, but she couldn't help it. It was all she could think of. The taste of his lips, the feeling of him inside her, his blue eyes, the complete and utter euphoria that lasted throughout his entire company. Not just the sex, the whole day. The car ride, the boat, then finally his bed had all been places she felt a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time.

And she hated that.

She should be feeling that way with Josh not Troy. She should be eagerly racing to Josh, throwing her arms around him and laughing at her past relationship with Troy, not re-inventing it- not re-living it. She sighed to herself and gently tipped her head back so it could embrace with the white tiles covering the wall as the afternoon flooded back into her mind once again like a persistent and pesky mosquito.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 6th 2009**

_They were silent-too silent. The occurrences after Troy's sudden expression of love still had them too shocked to make a move. They laid stiff under the sheets that were now twisted haphazardly from their reckless love making as both pair of eyes penetrating the ceiling._

_It was as if the second his lips hit hers they were transported into another realm. One that brought her back to when she first met the previous love of her life. Less then eight years ago she would have rather died then be torn away from his arms and now here she was screaming at herself for being in the biceps of the man she was once addicted to._

_Troy's back lay flat against the mattress, his hands nervously resting on his stomach though his head finally swivelled away from the ceiling and broke the tense silence as he stared at the side of her blank yet perfect face._

"_Tell me what you're thinking." He demanded feeling uneasy by the quiet and she could have laughed at the command. What __**wasn't **__she thinking?_

"_I'm thinking…" she drew in a deep breath and slowly tore her gaze from the white roof above as she turned on her side staring him in the eye while tucking her hand under her head, "how I'm such a horrible person, how Josh is going to feel when I tell him, how disappointed I am in myself…how much I missed you." She says quietly and Troy's hurt eyes quickly flickered up to hers as he focused on the last of her list, his heart twisting at the confirmation of her still caring for him. "I'm thinking how much I wish this didn't happen." She continued and the dim light of hope vanished though not once did any expression appear on his face other then the blank look he was currently sporting. "And how much I want to do it again." She quietly-almost silently admitted and Troy's vacant face was suddenly filled with emotion._

_He tried not to break, to remain masked but as the truth spewed from her swollen lips he found his eyes almost go wide and the gulp rigidly slid down his dry throat._

"_That's a lot of thinking…" He joked weakly glancing down at the sheets before he turned on his side as well and his hand cautiously found hers. Her breath seemed to be stripped from her lungs as she felt his fingers slowly lace around hers and her eyes returned to the piercing blue once she looked away from their embracing palms._

"_Yeah…" She responded hoarsely as he perched his head on his left hand keeping his right firmly in her grasp, his eyes gazing at the back of her trembling hand._

"_Why doesn't he know?" He suddenly asks after a moment of silence and Gabriella looked up at her old flame her eyes veiling ignorance though she knew perfectly well what he was talking about._

"_Why doesn't who know what?" She asked and if it was five years ago Troy would have surely rolled his eyes, but it wasn't._

"_Josh. Why doesn't he know about me and you?" He asked and at the mention of her boyfriend her hand slipped from his making Troy look down at his empty hand with a straight face._

"_It was a long time ago Troy- you and I. It doesn't matter anymore."_

"_That's not true and you know it. Why would you hide it if it was nothing?" He asked her and she found she was unable to give him an answer making him sigh and drop his sight to the bed. "Why'd you have to come back Kansas?" He asked and her arms wrapped insecurely around her stomach. "I was just getting over the whole thing-moving on. And now…now I'm falling for you all over again." He mumbled and Gabriella's mouth almost dropped as she stared at him while he shook his head, purposefully putting more focus into the linens then the bare woman next to him wearing nothing but his shirt._

"_Troy." She breathed._

"_You still care for me, I know you do." He said quickly looking away from the bedding and down into her eyes. He almost smiled. Her button eyes._

_Something he loved when she loved him back. They were curious and sharp much like her personality. They were expressive and filled with love, innocence and determination and he finally just noticed how little they changed. Her big button eyes._

"_I…" She whispered though her voice wavered unsure how to respond. Her heart screamed at her. 'Of course you do! It's Troy!' like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It didn't matter if it was five years or five hundred years, she would never stop caring for Troy, though that didn't mean they belonged together._

"_Gabriella." His husky whisper sent a sensual shiver down her arms and back up again oblivious to the knock that was banging at the front door. "Kansas." He called again, his fingers hesitantly dancing across her collarbone before moving to her arm, his inching lips finally landing on hers and against her better judgement she was eager to respond. His calloused hand moved from the smooth surface of her bicep and to her waist, squeezing her side as his tongue easily slipped into her mouth without a guard telling him no. Her hands were quick to disappear in the strands of his short brown locks bringing his head closer as her back reflexively arched._

"_Troy." She whispered as he pulled away for air though the absence of his lips was too much for her to bare. Damning his smokers lungs she quickly brought him back in before a loud bang echoed through out the house and they quickly jumped apart before Troy realized it was his front door._

_His eyes quickly widened in realization and he glanced over at the clock cursing loudly as he jumped out of the bed and slipped on his previously discarded pants._

"_What's going on?" Gabriella asked anxiously and Troy breathlessly responded as he remembered his scheduled plans for that evening._

"_Dinner." _

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 6th 2009**

Her big brown eyes closed as her wet hair was slicked back out of her face. She still cowered in the confines of the small shower not sure how long she'd been in bathroom claiming to be washing herself but the impatient knock of her boyfriend on the other end not only caused her to jump but also realize it must have been longer then she thought.

"Honey are you alright? You've been in there for a while." She sucked in a hot breath as reality crashed back on her, his voice making the guilt burn fiercely in her chest as she pushed herself further against the cold wall subconsciously.

"I'm-" She started though she could hardly recognize her voice and cleared the distress away. "I'm almost done." She answered.

"Okay baby. I'll be downstairs." He informed and Gabriella nodded even though he was blind to the gesture because of the blocking door. She breathed out relieved as she heard his footsteps echo on the stairs and courageously freed herself from the tile, turning the handle and ceasing the water before grabbing the fuzzy towel dangling from the silver wrack.

Her teeth bit down onto her thumb nail nervously as she looked at the door. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to go downstairs and listen to Joshua complain about whatever it was that had him longing for her to hurry-she guessed it was the insipid card game he was playing with her father and she definitely didn't want to converse with him pretending nothing happened.

She wanted Troy.

She wanted to talk to him, to ask him what she should do to make the guilt go away. She wanted to know his opinion on the evening. She wanted to talk to him and laugh with him and eat bad burritos.

She didn't realize how much she missed him until she saw him the day before the fireworks. It wasn't even in the physical way that made her heart rev and her knees wobble. He wasn't just her husband or her lover when she was venturing through her teens with him by her side. He was her friend, her companion, the boy she could look at and suddenly feel better or okay.

And she left him behind.

Teary eyed Gabriella reaches for her cell phone that was wedged into the pocket of the jeans that had her feeling so excited hours ago, though now as they were crumpled on the bathroom floor she suddenly hated them, the image of them laying lifelessly on the hard wood flooring in Troy's home brought a glare to her eyes like it was the denims fault. Anything to make her feel less guilt-ridden.

She sniffled as her blurry eyes scanned the keys to her cell phone, her thumbs quickly typing the familiar number before holding it eagerly to her ear, clutching the towel tightly around her body before she heard the familiar voice on the other end answer.

"_Hello?"_

* * *

**So it's exam week which would explain my late update but I'm sorry I had to leave you hanging with such a big cliff hanger! And I'm double sorry for giving you another one, but I have to keep drawing you guys back somehow ;)**

**For those of you who haven't heard the expression "button eyes" it just means large and expressive eyes. I don't know if a lot of you know it I just know my mom says it a lot lol, though she's from Prince Edward Island and knows a lot of weird and funny phrases lol.**

**Anyway, sort of sad chapter but every story needs that once and a while right? I hope you guys liked it, once again I absolutely loved writing it. One of my fav chapters so far! Anyway review please!**

**Dani.**


	8. Time to Say Goodbye

**Okay you're probably wondering why you've been getting like a thousand updates for this story and it's because I had to fix a couple of chapters. Because of my stupidity I calculated their age wrong and I was just going to let it slide but it started to eat away at me! Finally I caved and fixed it considering their age is sort of a big deal in this story. Sorry for any confusion it may have caused.**

**Anyway…**

**I love how you all reacted to last chapter. Some of you were over the moon about Gabriella and Troy having sex…some were a little sceptical…and some didn't think it fit Gabriella's character. I love how you all have different perspective s and for those of you who didn't think it was really something Gabriella in this story would do…I applaud you! Because you're realizing that she's acting different then she would if she was not around Troy which is exactly what I'm trying to get across.**

**Remember, it's not like Gabriella to have a career in art, it's not like Gabriella to not go to college/university right away and it's not like Gabriella to get married at seventeen! So obviously it wouldn't be like sweet Gabriella to cheat on her boyfriend. That's the point I'm trying to get across, Gabriella changes when she's around Troy and you'll really realize that in this chapter…at least I hope you do ;)**

**Anyway got quite a few reviews last chapter not as much as I expected surprising considering what happened in it but that's okay, I still got some great and very amusing reviews one even including an interesting ditty by EvenIfTheSkyIsFallingDown lol I loved it probably one of the best reviews I've gotten in a long time…it gave me a good laugh lol. Anyway I'll stop rambling now and let you read even though I'm sure most of you have skipped over this entire thing.**

**danixox.**

* * *

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 6th 2009**

"_Hello?" _The slightly groggy voice answered and Gabriella assumed it must have been around ten-thirty in New York taking the time difference into account.

"Shar?" She sniffled wiping her arm under her nose as she sat down on the toilet seat.

"_Hey Ella! I didn't think I'd hear from you at all this week." _She greeted suddenly excited, oblivious to her state however Gabriella found herself smiling even though her current mood was not one for a grin. Sharpay Evans was her first friend in New York. They met when Gabriella was in desperate attempts to find an apartment before moving in with Josh. She had been staying at a crappy Motel for three days as she looked for a place and just so happened to stumble across the swanky home of Sharpay Evans-who because of her immediate liking to Gabriella gave her an incredible price for rent.

She was relatively affluent, not exactly rich but her parents found the lavish apartment for her and her friend at the time who then moved in with her boyfriend leaving the second room vacant which obviously went to Gabriella.

She was a struggling actress, making her way through the ranks of Broadway though to get her through the week she earned money as the manager at an _Armani Exchange _boutique in the city, though her parents were always there to aid her through monetary situations…especially since Sharpay liked to do some after-work shopping.

After a couple of months of living together Gabriella had quickly become best friends with the outgoing and loyal diva. Sharpay was the one person outside of Wilton Valley that knew all about her time in the small town-even about Troy, thanks to a night of drinking after her first week in the city. She had gotten drunk as they were celebrating her surviving an entire seven days in New York and after too much of the Vodka-a twenty-one year old Sharpay bought- she found herself blabbing how much she missed him and loved him and wanted to call him (thankfully Sharpay stopped her) and then she cried herself to sleep while Sharpay took care of her waiting until the next morning for her to clearly explain what she had been talking about the night before.

She had been shocked to hear of a past marriage at her young age; only about twenty at the time but Sharpay was understanding and didn't judge or pity her which was what Gabriella really needed at the time. And a couple of years later when she met Josh, Sharpay quickly swore to keep it a secret from him once Gabriella begged her to. She had a feeling Sharpay didn't like Joshua very much-not so much as a person but more for her. She never actually declared to Gabriella that she didn't like them together, though Gabriella always found she was sending off that vibe whenever he was around.

"_Ella?" _The blonde called and she quickly snapped from her trance. _"Hello? Earth to Gabriella!" _She called to her. _"Have you seen the husband yet?" _She asked and Gabriella's stomach did an involuntary flip.

"Will you stop calling him that!?" She whispered glancing warily at the thin door as if the whole world could hear her through the tiny speaker yet the warm cellular device remained pressed to her ear.

"_What? That's what he is." _She defended and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Ex-husband."

"_Same thing." _She said and Gabriella's small smile was once again glowing on her face even with the circumstances looming over her. Taking a pause to remember what happened that very afternoon her grin slowly faded as she bit down on her lip harshly.

"I did something bad Shar." She whimpered suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. She then glanced to the door and turned on the tap so the running water would block any nosy listeners or impatient boyfriends in the hall. She remembered doing the same thing when she would be talking to Troy over the phone after her mother had repeatedly told her to go to bed and say goodnight to the blue-eyed teen.

The other line suddenly went quiet and she heard a soft ruffling noise that sounded remotely like the shuffling of bed sheets, guessing Sharpay was lounging in her bed before she called.

"_How bad?" _She asked cautiously and Gabriella closed her eyes.

"Really bad." She said quickly while pressing her finger tips to her forehead. "So incredibly bad."

"_What happened?"_ She asked suddenly concerned and Gabriella felt her eyes start to well up again as she played with the hem of the green towel wrapped around her.

"I ran into Troy…" She started and heard Sharpay breathe out relieved obviously thinking that was the end of her sentence.

"_Oh thank god! You scared me!" _She giggled. _"Gabi it's okay if you talk to him, it's not a big deal-"_

"No Shar, just listen." She mumbled before sucking in a deep breath.

"I ran into Troy and, well…he invited me to hang out or whatever…and…and I don't even know how it happened but one thing led to another and…"

"_Oh Ella…you didn't." _Sharpay said softly and the moment Gabriella finally admitted the deed out loud her tears started to stream down her face and the guilt washed over her to a new and much more severe extent.

"I knew this was going to happen!" Gabriella said but quickly hushed herself. "I mean…this always happens when I'm around him. I was with him for what? Two hours maybe? And I…ugh." She finally broke off groaning frustrated. "And the worst part is that I could have stopped him I could have said no-but I didn't, not once because I missed him and I wanted to hold onto him and everything just felt so right." She muttered shaking her head before sighing. "I'm not myself around him; I turn into someone who can't think properly, who suddenly doesn't care about consequences or anyone else but him. I mean you know the story Shar; I was supposed to go away for college and be a doctor and then I met Troy and everything…everything changed." She said with a sigh. "He turns me into someone I'm not."

Once again Sharpay was quiet and Gabriella's rapid tears turned slow as she sniffled into the phone confused by no reply.

"_Yeah, maybe." _She said simply and Gabriella's eyebrows scrunched as she sniffled again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked curiously. Her wording didn't come off as offended or rude she just honestly didn't understand her response.

"_Well Gab…have you ever thought that maybe instead of turning you into someone you're not, this Troy guy brings out who you really are?"_ She asked and Gabriella found herself remaining silent not sure how to respond.

"No…I..um-"

"_Look I've never met the guy but from what I've heard you were pretty crazy about him. It seems like you had fun being this 'different Gabriella' he apparently brings out of you."_ She said before pausing and adding softly: _"Maybe that's who you really are." _She said and considering the silence on the other end she continued. "_But then again that's just me shooting in the dark. I could be totally wrong." _Gabriella, processing her words just nodded silently even though Sharpay couldn't see the gesture.

She had never looked at it that way. She was always over-analyzing who she was supposed to be, who she was raised to believe she should be and who she wanted others to see. Successful, well liked, admired, safe and reassured. All these things she had going for her in her ritzy life in New York living with her stable and well-off boyfriend. But with Troy none of that ever mattered. She always did the opposite of what her logic told her to do, never stressing over reactions or complications or sacrifices-and… and she had never been so happy in her entire life.

But she couldn't afford not to follow reason anymore.

"_Does Josh know?" _Sharpay asked softly breaking the silence.

"No." She croaked looking down at the tile.

"_Good. He doesn't need to know."_ She said curtly and the reply seemed to take her by surprise. _"It was nothing. It was just from being overwhelmed by seeing Troy again I'm sure that's it….just think of it as your guys' way of saying goodbye since you didn't really get to last time." _She said and usually her friends' words would have had Gabriella feeling slightly better though the word goodbye gnawed horribly inside of her.

She didn't want to say goodbye.

"Yeah…you're right." She said hoarsely nodding her head while ignoring the itch in her heart that was scoffing off the idea of riddance.

"_Ella I think you need to talk to him. Get closure; discuss what happened and move past it." _She said and Gabriella once again found herself nodding but again hating the advice. _"And then get back to New York! I'm missing you like crazy!"_ She said and Gabriella smiled sadly.

"I miss you too." She sniffled.

"…_Hey Ell?" _She called after a pause.

"Hm?"

"_Was he any good?" _She asked and Gabriella actually felt herself laugh as Sharpay giggled on the other line. Gabriella wiped the tears from her eyes as she smiled amused at the question.

"He was…" She hesitated. She could have said that he was nothing compared to Josh. That he wasn't as good of a kisser as she remembered. Or maybe even make up a story saying he was only adequate considering there weren't any feelings beneath the many confusing layers of their relationship. But since when did she lie to Sharpay? "He was amazing." Gabriella finally said breathlessly, the steady beats in her chest rapidly fluttering at the thought and she could almost see Sharpay's grin.

"_Bye Gabi."_ She said, somehow a smile laced in her words and Gabriella smiled a watery grin herself.

"Bye Shar." She said before hanging up the phone and sighing before a knock intruded the peaceful quiet that had swept over the bathroom.

"Sweetie?"

She groaned.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 6th**** 2009**

His stomach was in knots and his body seemed numb as he stared out at the horizon, the sky lighting up in various colors like pink and yellow and orange as the sun collided behind the hills. It was close to seven o'clock and all he had thought about the rest of the night was what happened between him and Gabriella only a few short hours ago.

As the sun slowly faded Troy stared emotionlessly at the view while sitting on his porch, his feet perched on the railing, his butt nestled in a blue fold out chair, the white cigarette behind his ear waiting to be scorched and a beer in hand.

As soon as Gabriella left, Troy obviously thought how badly he messed up before eagerly reaching for that trusty little red and white box to relieve the stressful situation. Though now several hours later he had yet to put it between his lips and instead he rested it in between the crevice of his ear, still on the fence as to whether he should take advantage of the white stick or not.

On one hand, it would help. Nothing felt better then the relief of his tense body as the smoke burned through out him; clearing away any ounce of stress…though on the other hand,

Gabriella hated it.

He didn't know why he cared what Gabriella thought of the habit considering she was no longer in sight- most likely cuddled up next to her stupid, ugly faced boyfriend- but that was his reason behind the clean air that whirled around him instead of the usual toxic cloud.

She had always hated it, and begged him constantly to quit, squealing and cooing whenever he'd brag about a smoke free day which had his stomach turning as his love for her seemed to increase even more. He missed that. He wanted to tell her how much he had cut back, how he was no longer so insanely dependent on the nicotine and how it was all because of her.

He wanted to tell her he had a smoke free day, just to hear that cute little praise.

But he wasn't hers anymore, nor was she his. She now belonged to someone else much to Troy's dismay, and their rekindling friendship had been demolished because he couldn't keep it in his damn pants. She probably hated him, thinking he took advantage of her. Troy shuddered at the thought. But suddenly a much worse concept loomed over him and he swiftly straightened, shooting from his slouched position. The thought so devastating it had his heart stop beating and his sluggish body tense.

What if she left early?

What if she wanted to go back to New York a couple days early because of what happened? What if she was so upset and bothered by everything she didn't want to be in Wilton anymore- around him anymore? He hoped she wouldn't leave. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to see her more and more even if it was on another guys arm or just a glance across the street.

He felt himself groan and flop back against the white and blue chair, his head leaning against the white bar wanting the thoughts of worry and desire to go away. He wished more then anything he had someone. Someone who was even better then Gabriella, someone who could take his mind off of her and her stupid boyfriend. He sighed.

There was no one better then Gabriella.

Tired of his heart aching and his mind whirling he brought his hand up to his right ear, fingering the smoke hidden away and bringing it away from its spot before rolling it contemplatively in his fingers. It would feel so good, just to release the built up worry and strain caused by the aftermath of everything.

But as the sound of thumping feet travelling up the stairs and a sharp voice sliced through the distressed silence he felt himself jump, any thoughts of relieved tension being cleared away.

"Troy, want to tell me why you weren't at dinner?" His mother asked with a bag in her hands. "You said you'd be-" She broke off, her voice ceasing as she caught sight of the smoke in his hand making him sigh and tuck it back behind his ear. "You're smoking?" She asked a little concerned. He only smoked when something was wrong.

"No." He said truthfully and she only looked at him pointedly, her cocked brow showing disbelief. "Honestly mom, I wasn't. I was only… thinking about it." He added sheepishly and she shook her head staring sympathetically at her son. He suddenly felt like he was sixteen again, his mother walking in and catching him smoking for the first time.

Laura sighed and set the food she had wrapped up from the restaurant on the flat surface of the railing before walking over to her son.

"Troy do you want to talk about anything?" She asked as she leaned against the enclosure lining the deck and Troy raised an eyebrow at her, slowly retrieving his propped feet from the rail and sitting up.

"No…" He replied cautiously.

"Are you sure sweetie? I'm not mad about the smoking thing…" She said and Troy found himself rolling his eyes.

"Mom! I'm not a little kid okay?" He said in a childish whine and she rolled her eyes at the irony of his comment before laughing quietly to herself and raising her hands defensively.

"I know, I know." She laughed again before glancing down at her hands before continuing; her joyful tone now filled with hesitancy and concern. "You've just seemed a little down is all. You know, since Gabriella came along…"

"I'm fine." He mumbled looking back over the yard and she sighed crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then why'd you skip dinner? Look, I think you're just trying to lock yourself away so you won't have to deal with Gabriella." _Wrong_. Troy thought to himself. Wrong, wrong, wrong. His evening was quite the opposite actually and he was sure he would never hear from her again because of it. "You're grandfather was all flustered and said you were busy but I think something else is going on." His cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink at the mention of his grandfather and he embarrassedly thought back to his reaction earlier before replying to his sympathetic mother.

"Like grandpa said. I was busy." He mumbled rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fine. Don't tell me. I can't force you to talk to me." She said sadly and Troy looked up at her as she stared down at the deck making him sigh, suddenly feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry I wasn't at dinner okay?" He apologized quietly. "You're right; I have been a little upset. I just…miss her, is all." He said honestly, hoping that maybe if he opened up a little she'd be happy and stop pestering him. Though his plans seemed to backfire because as he admitted his longing for the brunette Laura's eyes seemed to light up at the progress, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck making him grunt as she pulled his head into a tight hug.

"Oh sweetheart I know you do!"

"Mom." He grumbled.

"Oh Troy I know you miss Gabriella and I know how much she hurt you but you can't wallow in your house all day just to avoid seeing her sweetie. Even if it is hard to see her with someone else."

"I know." He said pulling his head away from her awkward embrace and fixing his styled hair making her roll her eyes. "I just don't see what's so great about this guy-or for that matter, New York. Why's New York so special?" He asked bitterly and she smiled at him before his own grin curled the corners of his lips. "I remember when she first moved here." He said fondly.

"You two were inseparable." She said as she stroked his hair and he chuckled.

"Yeah we'd always drive out to the hills and make ou- talk." He abruptly corrected himself remembering who he was saying all of this to and as his head snapped up to her she simply rose an eyebrow at him. "Erm..talk." He said again clearing his throat feeling her motherly gesture quickly disappear as she removed her hand from his head.

"That better be all you two were doing up there." She said resting her hands on her hips. A small smile was planted on his lips though his eyes read sadness at the thoughts of her time living in Wilton.

"Yeah." He said with a sad laugh. Of course that wasn't all they did. A whole lot more actually. But what kind of idiot would confess that stuff to their mom?

"Don't worry she'll be gone in a couple of days and you can forget this week ever happened." She said softly though Troy winced at the information, his stomach clenching. A couple of days? She was only going to be here for a couple more days?

"Yeah…thanks mom."

"I brought you food." She said retrieving the bag from its position on the post and Troy rolled his eyes amused. "It's just the rest of what your father was eating. He wasn't very hungry so I thought maybe you could finish it. It's that pasta you like." She said and he smiled at her.

"Thanks mom." He said sincerely and she grinned at him.

"It'll get better Troy I promise." With that, she bounced down the steps leaving Troy to his thoughts.

**Wilton Valley Alaska,**

**Fairbanks Hill**

**November 10****th**** 2001**

_Once again the car was parked by the grassy hills and once again, Troy and Gabriella were situated in the back seat. His hands roamed over her stomach as his lips attacked her neck hungrily, though Gabriella laid flat on the squishy seat as she stared up at the roof of the beat up old truck distracted._

"_Do you think Tay's still mad?" She asked. Confused and slightly caught off guard by the question he removed his head from the crook of her neck._

"_What?"_

"_She was really pissed when I left with you. She wanted to study." She said and he sucked in a groan as he laid his forehead against her collarbone. Why did she have to do this now?_

"_I don't know. I doubt it." He mumbled picking up his forehead and dusting light kisses where his head was previously lying. _

"_I think she still is. Maybe I should call her."_

"_Kansas do you have to do that now?" He asked her as his lips trailed back up to her neck. Heated make-outs and wandering hands was-unfortunately-as far as he had gotten even though they had been talking about going all the way since mid to late October. Gabriella, he already knew was still a virgin while he had only done it once before, which was a very awkward and uncomfortable experience with a girl he dated for two months before Gabriella's arrival._

"_I guess not." She said sending him a smile which he quickly returned before kissing her passionately on the lips. They had made a plan, after tons of talking and debating they decided that tonight was the night to take the next step. Gabriella had agreed that she was ready and would love nothing more then for him to have her virginity which had Troy crossing out days on his theoretical calendar until the anticipated day, and finally, it arrived._

_Though as his mind, not to mention a certain body part-which was especially important in an activity such as this one- got overly excited to finally have sex with the beautiful brunette neither were planning his girlfriend and her best friend would suddenly get in a big fight the night of._

_She mumbled against his lips resting her hand on his cheek as she gently guided his lips away from hers. "Have you talked to Chad?"_

"_Let's not talk about Chad right now." He mumbled before leaning back in. Gabriella giggled at this but before he could press his lips to hers she gently nudged on his shoulders keeping him a safe distance away. _

"_I was just wondering if Taylor had said anything to him. I saw them fighting earlier in the hall."_

"_He hasn't said anything." He replied hastily and she pouted as he managed to press a kiss to the corner of her lips before travelling across her cheek and once again to her neck._

"_Yeah she probably wouldn't. To Chad anyway." She mumbled with a sigh knowing their distaste for one another before her fingers leisurely travelled to his hair, playing with the brown locks. Though she was too busy becoming lost in her thoughts to put any further attention into him. "I think she's being totally unfair. So what if I'd rather hang out with my boyfriend then study? We studied last night I don't see the big deal."_

"_I totally agree." He mumbled not entirely sure to what he was agreeing to although a moan soon followed his concord as he got a peak at her cleavage, his mouth immediately kissing the top of her plump breasts that were exposed by the tight grey V neck._

"_But she freaked out like she always does. It's like I have to hang out with her 24/7." She said. "Don't get me wrong, I love Tay and I feel bad but sometimes, I just want time to myself- or time with you, you know?"_

"_Mhmm." He mumbled against her chest feeling it rise and fall beneath his teeth as she sighed._

"_Maybe I should call her." She stated and he sighed, sitting up from on top of her and she looked at him curiously. "Why'd you stop?"_

"_This isn't happening is it?" He asked._

"_What? No, I'm totally into it." She lied and he rolled his eyes before raising an eyebrow at her making her sigh. "I'm sorry Troy." She said sincerely pushing herself up as much as she could with him on top of her and the low ceilings of the old truck.. "I'm just mad at Tay."_

"_But this was supposed to be our night." He whined and she smiled as she ran a hand down his chest affectionately._

"_I know, it still is." She said as she lied back down. "You have my full and undivided attention. I'm a hundred percent yours." She stated and he sent her a grin, his hands running along her sides as he sunk back down on top of her._

"_You promise?" He asked pecking her lips lightly and she grinned._

"_I promise."_

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 6****th**** 2009**

That was their first time sleeping together which triggered some sort of sex obsession in each others mind because after that night it seemed that's all they wanted to do, which Troy, a teenage boy at the time really had no complaints about.

He chuckled lightly to himself at the memory remembering how frustrated he had been. But leave it to Gabriella to talk during foreplay on the night she's loosing her virginity. He chuckled again.

He did miss her. A lot. And when he invited her to hang out he honestly didn't have the intention of sleeping with her, it just sort of…happened. He was staring down at her as she apologized for everything and he suddenly realized: he didn't want an apology. He didn't want her to feel guilty or upset, he just for once wanted her to stop talking and kiss him like he did that November night their first time. He just wanted her.

So he did it. With out thinking obviously, but he did it. Kissed her square on the mouth. And he was absolutely astounded by the feeling. He felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, the frustration from everyone pitying him, the anxiety of her being in Wilton, the jealousy of knowing she was with another man it all just faded away once his lips touched hers. And then utter happiness when she kissed back.

She still cared for him and Troy knew it. How much? He wasn't so sure. Did she still love him? God knows he still loved her but where she stood was hazy. All he knew was that she still cared for him. And right now, that was all he needed.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 6th 2009**

The smell of honey was embedded in her skin as she spread the lotion over her arms and hands while sitting lifelessly on the bed. Her bare legs were folded underneath her, crossed and stiff, her eyes set to a random spot on the yellow painted walls as Josh stood over the sink in the attached bathroom brushing his teeth.

"I don't know. I mean it was nice getting to know your dad and everything but fishing? Couldn't we have just watched a movie or something?" He said before shoving his toothbrush back into his mouth.

"…Mhmm." She muttered absentmindedly, staring down at her now shiny hands as the white lotion was softening her skin. Should she talk to Troy? Should she take Sharpay's advice and sit down with him like a mature adult?

"God I think I _still _smell like that swamp water." He said as he flicked off the lights to the bathroom and rolled onto the bed next to her with a sigh. "And all he did was laugh at me every time I lost a fish." He mumbled. "Oh and get this, he wants to take me out to Port Lions, _again_. Apparently I have fishing '_potential_.'"

"Josh cut it out." She scolded, finally looking away from her hands and he scrunched his eyebrows at her curiously. "What's wrong with fishing? For that matter, what's wrong with having a hobby? That's what the guys here in Wilton like to do. Fish and play cards and hangout…and sail and build things and draw." She gulped.

"Draw? Who draws?" He asked perplexed.

"No one." She said quickly before standing from the bed abruptly. "I need to brush my teeth." She muttered before hastily stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her while Josh just stared confused.

She needed to talk to Troy. She had to. She had to stop feeling this way; she had to stop looking at Josh and comparing his and Troy's differences. It was wrong. Wrong to Josh as well as Troy not to mention it was driving her absolutely insane.

With a huff she found herself once again plopping on top of the toilet seat, her head falling in her hands. Tomorrow she'd casually tell Joshua she had to run some errands and head to Troy's-innocent reasons in mind. She'd sit a safe distance away and tell him that sleeping together was great but it couldn't happen again, she'd softly tell him she didn't regret going to New York and then proceed to let him go. Move on. Get closure.

Sharpay was right. It had to be done. It was time to say goodbye.

* * *

**Again so sorry for all the confusion I forgot to write a little note on the last chapter explaining what was going on with all the updates when I reloaded it. Anyway as you know I was going crazy with a mistake that had been carried through out the story and finally decided to fix it. **

**I hope you liked this chapter and would absolutely LOVE it if you reviewed :) **

**Love danixox**


	9. The Visit

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 7****th**** 2009**

She counted her breaths and each second that passed, stalling until she could finally build the courage to step from the leather interior and onto the soil-damp from this mornings rain. Another breath and another changing digit on the illuminating clock and she was still stuck in the BMW staring at the house in front of her and tightening her grip around the wheel.

She whispered encouraging words to herself hoping to dim down the anxiety that caused an unsettling taut to brew in her stomach. "Come on Gabriella." She muttered taking in a deep breath. She had no idea why she was so nervous. '_It's only Troy!_' She thought ridiculously to herself though the image of his face and the less then platonic evening spent with him only made her groan and lie her head down on the ark her hands so desperately clutched.

Exactly, it's Troy.

This wasn't good. Not good at all. Why was this so hard? Why couldn't she trust herself enough to confidently stride up the three wooden steps and knock on the door before firmly telling him what needed to be said? In her opinion, her and Troy's story was a complicated one; one very confusing and hard to explain. It had a beginning, a middle and of course an end, though she found it unspeakably hard to close the book the town of Wilton so eagerly ate up. "Why can't I do this?" She groaned quietly and the snide, cynical thoughts sitting outside of her blanket of guilt and worry answered her rhetorical question_. 'Maybe because last time you saw him, you had sex with him.'_

She groaned again.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive,**

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez, **

**and daughter Gabriella Montez**

**February 21st**

_Her eyes-silky from the haze of tears remained glued to the kitchen table, the table that held so many wonderful memories like family meals and homework sessions with Troy and Taylor, though now deep within the mahogany a memory had embedded itself-disastrous and heart breaking._

_She hadn't spoken to him since the night she informed him of her decision to move to New York to attend the New York School of Art and Design. He didn't want to talk to her and truthfully, she wasn't one for speaking either. He had said things and she had said things and now she was almost positive he hated her for dropping such a demoralizing bomb like leaving Wilton out of thin air. She didn't blame him for not speaking to her. She hated herself at the moment._

_Though watching him walk into her kitchen, his eyes glued to the floor and his hands pinned in his pockets, her heart held more then a dull ache of guilt and dishearten, it had finally snapped, crumbled piece by piece into her stomach, though she willed her tears to stay behind the wall of her eyelashes, instead looking back down at the table._

"_Is this really necessary? I mean they're only kids." David said standing behind his only daughter. "Can't you just give them something to sign and let them be on their way?" He said and Jack Bolton voiced his agreement._

"_Well even though they were underage while the marriage took place, they are both legally adults now and hold procession of things worth value and domestic agreements that need to be distributed, like rent- bearing in mind a…" the dark skinned women with brown hair in numerous tight braids and a red business suit paused, glancing down at the stack of papers in front of her before reading: "an apartment on West Benson Boulevard, apartment number 313 which both individuals lived in together. I think it would just be smart for a little legal advice before having them sign."_

"_I agree." The portly and rather sweaty man seated across from the broken twenty year old replied. "It wouldn't hurt to get a few assets straightened out. And since your client is the one filing for divorce I think it should be only fair my client gain possession of the," again another pause filled the kitchen as he glanced down at his own mound of documents, "one bedroom, one bath apartment as a place of residency."_

"_Fine, my client won't be needing it." Lisa, Gabriella's attorney replied shortly and the man adjacent to her paused, surprised by the quick agreement to give away the cheap accommodation._

_Lisa was a friend of Teresa's and once she heard of Gabriella leaving Troy she had been quick to help, insisting a lawyers presence would be the best way to go about this, and Greg, who happened to be Troy's lawyer had agreed and also offered his services free of charge taking a liking to the Bolton family._

"_Oh? You won't be…needing it?" Greg said confused while Lisa only nodded._

"_You want to know why?" The voice caught Gabriella by surprise and she reluctantly looked up as the cold sting of Troy's voice rang through the tension filled kitchen. "Because she's moving to New York. Which apparently she decided months ago and I only found out last week. " He said bitterly, his arms folded over his chest and the layer of tears doubled over her darkened iris. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes briefly settled back on the wooden surface._

"_Cut it out Troy." She said quietly and his eyes landed on hers a second before her own irises floated back up, catching the foggy blue. But as if a chemical reaction the forceful connection was broken and they were both back to looking at the table._

_A couple months ago when different colleges had come to visit McKinley High, Taylor-who had been home visiting from her first year at the University of Alaska had reluctantly forgot about their massive fight and insisted Gabriella go with her to visit their old high school, not liking the idea of her blowing off college to stay in Wilton with Troy, and for some unknown reason, Gabriella went. To this day she still wasn't sure what persuaded her to go, but she did. She had rolled her eyes and shook her head the whole college fair saying it was a waste of time, that was until someone had so eagerly drawn her in to explain the perks of a University in New York specializing in art. He gave her a brochure and an application which Gabriella told herself she was going to throw away but as a promise to Taylor, she filled it out and sent it in, thinking she'd be getting a rejection letter in a couple weeks. But she didn't._

_She got in._

_She hadn't told Troy she had applied, and the shock of acceptance had overwhelmed her and sent her to cloud nine though Troy was always an attribute to her decision-him always being her first priority. Though one day everything was set in a different perspective. Long story short, she decided to go to New York._

_Don't get her wrong, it wasn't as if she decided to leave on a whim, but as soon as she saw the first line congratulating her acceptance and praising her paintings she had sent in, she had felt the urge to change her mind about brushing off the topic of post-secondary school, she felt as though she had gained back the control Troy's blue eyes could so easily strip away. Though the thought also consisted of losing said eyes, knowing he would never consider leaving the small town to enter the big city and truthfully, the thought didn't only hurt, it scared her. It scared her to even think of losing the one thing she had depended on so whole-heartedly for most of her adolescence and then suddenly be without it._

_She was torn, between places, between lifestyles, between different futures and even possibly two different personalities. And as the deadline became closer and closer, her claustrophobia grew, the small town too suffocating for the big city girl. And finally, that fateful day she snapped and told Troy her secret and her final decision to head to New York._

_Obviously, he didn't take it well._

"_Well I'd like to move onto something worth a little more value. As you now know my client is in fact going to New York. She will have to pay for an apartment herself, along with most of school and textbooks and art supplies-"_

"_What's your point?" Greg asked impatiently._

"_My point is, University is expensive, which is why-determining its value I would like to have my client gain full possession of the Key West 225 sail boat." At this both Troy and Gabriella's head shot up, her watery eyes sending him an innocent look and shaking her head insinuating she had nothing to do with the particular situation before turning to the lady in red._

"_What? That's Troy's boat." She told her quickly._

"_Shh Gabi. I think we can get it." She whispered raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows hopefully and Gabriella shook her head._

"_No, I don't want it. It's Troy's he can have it-it's his." She said almost desperately knowing if she ever took the one thing Troy couldn't live without he'd most definitely hate her forever._

"_Gabriella think about how much a nice sail boat could sell for-"_

"_I don't care." She told her stubbornly. "I don't want it." With that she crossed her arms over her chest and flopped back in her chair in defiance and Troy looked at her surprised before gazing down at his shaking hands._

"_Well it's settled then… Troy gets the boat." Greg said carefully before writing it down. The kitchen was quiet, all shocked to Gabriella's outburst though no one was more shocked then the blue eyed teen sitting across from her._

"_Thank you." He said quietly and the kitchen cautiously turned their gaze to the married couple rather then the floor the party had been so fascinated with previously and Gabriella only nodded her head silently._

"_I don't want anything of his." Gabriella admitted softly and Troy swallowed the lump in his throat._

"_Same here…anything of hers, I mean." Troy muttered._

"_Are you sure?" Greg asked him and he only nodded._

"_See, I told you." David sighed. "Just give them the divorce papers and leave them alone." Both attorneys gave each other a look as if asking the other if that was indeed what they should do before pulling a thick book with a blue cover from wherever they had stored it previously._

_Gabriella looked down at the booklet that was set in front of her, sighing as it reminded her of one of the many social packets she had gotten during her school years and she found her stomach tugging at the comparison, realizing just how young she really was to be signing divorce papers. The large "X's" and colourful highlighted words had caught her eye and she glanced at Troy from under her eyelashes though her head was still pointed downwards. The look he gave her was one she was sure she would never forget. He stared at her almost cautiously-yet hopefully, as if she would suddenly change her mind at the last second and admit it was all a big mistake. Her round eyes finally released one single tear as she accepted the blue, ballpoint pen with shaky hands, and with a deep breath and a final glance to Troy she signed her full name on the three separate lines. _

_Troy only closed his eyes painfully._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake**

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 7****th**** 2009**

She felt the familiar sting of tears cloud over her brown eyes as she stared at the house through the windshield. That really was the only goodbye she had ever gotten. And it was such a painful one at that. It had been the last time she saw him before re-entering the small town, and it was also the reason for her to expect a horrible hatred coming her way when he would eventually lay eyes on her. But his warm heart had kept him from despising her like she truly deserved.

With that she wiped the thin layer of tears away and looked in the rear-view mirror subconsciously to check her make-up and hair, fluffing her bangs to perfection before smoothing out her skirt. As she sighed she shakily grabbed the handle to the door and stepped into the fresh air, looking out at the lake briefly and taking in the beautiful scenery. Now used to sky scrapers and billboards she found a moment of tranquility staring at the clear waters, but her moment of piece didn't last long as she hesitantly stepped onto the porch-reminding herself he had in fact built it himself with each step she took. Her heart swelled with pride and admiration. Before she could run back to the car she hastily knocked on the door leaving her standing on the step instead of cowering away and planning to ignore him for the remainder of the trip like her weak and cowardly side so desperately wanted her to do.

She mumbled to herself, practicing what she was going to say as she turned back to the water that she had been out on more times then she could count before the sound of the door unlocking and swinging open had her heart stopping as she spun around, trying to keep her lips firmly together rather then allowing her jaw to drop.

"Kansas, hey." He said softly, shock laced in his words along with each distinct feature on his face.

"Wow." She said before blushing realizing she said that out loud though Troy only looked at her confused before pushing the screen door open. If she didn't know any better she would have been certain she was staring at a picture in one of those sexy calendars, and her already pink cheeks escalated in their rouge tint at the thought. His hair was wet making it a dark shade-almost black and she guessed he just came out of the shower considering he was ruffling the now deep brunette locks-which did wonders for his already beautiful eyes by the way- with a lemon coloured towel that sat in his hand.

His chest was bare and even though it wasn't really anything new to her she still felt her heart beat rapidly at the sight of every muscle and curve of his arms and abdomen and then of course the black ink embedded across his heart. Unlike his torso his legs were covered; dressed in a pair of black track paints that almost matched the colour of his dripping hair.

She internally groaned. Why couldn't he have looked _ugly_?

"What's up?" He asked nervously and she looked down to the ground, afraid if she looked at him any longer she'd suddenly be willing to strip right on the porch and jump him. Once again, she blushed.

"Umm…I need to talk to you." She said shuffling her feet and he nodded though he could feel the worry shoot through him panicking about what she had to say.

"…Okay." He said reluctantly before stepping aside. "Do you…do you want to come in?" He asked and her eyes quickly shot up to him before over his shoulder and into the house. Yes, she very much did want to go in. But should she? Probably not.

"Okay." She said even though her better judgment said other wise and he nodded letting her past him before following her in.

"Is everything okay?" He asked playing with the towel in his hands anxiously as she looked around the house taking in the beauty of it.

She didn't really get a chance for the grand tour last time.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." She mumbled walking to the couch and looking to him as if asking for permission to sit down. He quickly nodded gesturing to the sofa and she smoothed her skirt before sitting down and looking around the living room.

"What did you…what did you need to talk about?" He stuttered. The only thought really reeling through his mind was that she was here to tell him she was leaving; that things were too weird and she was going back to New York a few days early. His heart clenched.

He found himself cautiously sitting next to her on the couch as if she were to bat him away if he got too close, but she seemed too busy taking in every nook and cranny of his home to complain about his presence on the couch so he remained.

"Well…about yesterday." She said softly and he only nodded slowly.

"Kans, it was stupid, I'm sorry I kissed you. You have a boyfriend-I know that I just…missed you." He told her with a hesitant shrug as he watched her face carefully for a reaction and she looked away from her hands and smiled at him which took him by surprise.

"I missed you too." She said her smile reaching her eyes which had a swift thump occur in his chest. "I really have Troy. I mean we were really something together."

"Yeah…we were." He agreed earning him another smile before it slowly faded.

"But…but I'm happy in New York." She said sadly, once again looking back to her lap. "And like you said, I have a boyfriend."

"That's…good." He said not really knowing what else to say, though he sure as hell knew another adjective. It wasn't good, it _sucked_. Even though he was relieved to hear she was happy, the boyfriend thing still made his heart sink. He heard her giggle quietly and he smiled as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, it is." She mumbled before taking a deep breath. "The reason I came here Troy was because…" she paused her eyes once again finding his and he looked at her expectantly as she choked on her words, "because…" _'I came to say goodbye. Say it Gabriella! Say it!'_

"Because what?" He whispered finding no need to talk any louder and the smell of his freshly washed hair and soapy skin filled her senses and made her head feel light and dizzy. The power of his beautiful blue eyes which were so much brighter then the last time she had seen him had her throat going suddenly dry and her heart beat so wildly she was sure she could see it through her chest. Everything was suddenly hazy. Why she was there, what she was supposed to do, the concept of personal space-it had all flown right over her head.

"I can't remember." She whispered and he sent her a grin, a beautiful and lopsided smile that made her melt and further her forgetfulness for a certain boyfriend who believed she was out with Taylor.

"You can't remember?" He replied slightly amused though his voice was barely above a whisper and she sent him a small and lazy smile as she felt his body become closer; the bridge of his nose softly brushing against her own as his forehead gently connected with hers. Her breathing steadied in a soft and easy pattern, and her hand caressed the side of his cheek lightly before travelling down to his bare chest and over the cursive writing spelling her nickname.

Before everything came crashing back to her.

The guilt she felt, ridding the smell of him from her nude body in the shower, the phone call with Sharpay and of course, Josh.

"Troy." She whimpered as she pulled her head away and he shut his eyes tightly cursing himself. Only yesterday he was fretting over her never speaking to him because of his uncontrollable desires, and here he was again, messing everything up.

"Sorry." He mumbled retracting his head and rubbing the back of his neck. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and ran a hand through her hair before their eyes connected.

"I shouldn't have come here."

"No!" He said quickly before hushing himself. "I mean, I'm happy you came, I wanted to see you."

"And I wanted to see you." She told him in a slight whine, leaving out the key reason why she showed up on his door step. "That's the problem Troy. I shouldn't want to see you. I should be wanting to spend time with my boyfriend, or my family-or my old friends! I shouldn't be running back to you the first chance I get!"

"I know, I know, but it's been so great seeing you again-_being_ with you again." He mumbled insinuating to what happened only yesterday and she tried to ignore her warm cheeks that were flaring in yet another blush. She cursed her easily pinked skin. "I want to start over."

"Start over?" She repeated quietly and he nodded.

"I want to be friends-something-anything to be in your life and if friends is all I can get, I'll take it."

"Troy…" She mumbled shocked by his proposal.

"I know it's crazy, and I know it's going to be hard to forget everything, but Kansas, I want to see you more before you have to leave."

"We've tried the friends thing and it turned _more _then friendly." She reminded and he chuckled quietly even though it wasn't something relatively funny. He blamed it on nerves.

"Well, we'll just have to try harder." He said and she paused for a long moment. Of course she wanted to be friends. Being with Troy came with such an indescribable feeling, and eating burritos and making fun of the nosy civilians in Wilton was too much fun to only schedule for a couple of short hours, though obviously their history held more then friendship. "Say something." He said nervously and she hesitantly looked up at him.

"I don't think I can be _just _friends with you." She told him softly and a look crossed his eye she had never seen before. It was as if every emotion that had been burning through him since she re-entered his life had finally been exposed through the dark pupil centering his flawless iris as he took a long pause, almost contemplating to say what was on the tip of his tongue.

"You don't have to be." He told her quietly-yet seriously and her breath was stripped from her throat as she stared at him in utter shock. Did he seriously say what she thought he said? "I want you to be mine Gabriella. I want you to come back where you belong." He said gently and for a short second, she considered his offer. Before finally she shook her head, getting her grip on reality.

"I belong in New York." She muttered as if trying to convince herself more then her handsome ex-husband seated next to her and he quickly shook his head in disagreement, scrunching his brows like that was the stupidest thing he's ever heard.

"You belong here, with me, with your family."

"Troy please. It didn't work the first time why would it ever work a second time?"

"We were kids the first time Gabriella!"

"We still are! It hasn't even been that long Troy! Five years isn't that long." She told him desperately and he let out a deep breath.

"Then you wouldn't be surprised to hear I'm still in love with you." He said and if her lungs had been plucked from its oxygen before she wasn't sure what to call the feeling that was passing through her chest as she heard his confession. Her lungs had been completely drained and every remembrance of how to function had been suctioned clean from her brain. Yet Troy remained calm and cool as if he just told her it was about to rain, probably because he had a feeling she had already known. And she wouldn't lie, she had a feeling he still loved her, though hearing him say it had put her into a spiral of shock and confusion.

"You still….oh my God." She breathed resting her light fingertips to the surface of her forehead.

"Kansas-"

"It's been longer then that!" She shrieked referring to her previous argument and Troy almost laughed at her late rebuttal as she sprung from the couch, her fluttering hand moving to her violently heaving chest as silence filled the house. He simply looked down to the floor as he rested his elbows on his knees not surprised by her reaction. He had, in fact, spent a long three years inseparably with her. "I don't know what to say." She mumbled her arms draping back down to her sides as she stared down at him breathlessly.

"I know you still love me, I know you do Gabriella." He said quickly standing, his hand resting on the curve of her cheek and no matter what her sensible side was screaming at her, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his, like a magician playing with hypnosis. "I can see it. I can see it every time I call you Kansas or you smile at me, I can see it." He said desperately and for what felt like the hundredth time since she sauntered back to her past, her eyes swelled with tears. Swallowing the thick lump in her throat she looked down at the floor below her feeling his thumb caress her cheek lightly before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Like most things having to do with Troy she felt herself confused, torn and feeling the need to deny-to shake her head and tell him he was wrong. Though being back in the place she'd experienced so many firsts had taught her a few things. One being: she would never be over Troy.

"Of course I love you Troy." She croaked and his eyes shot up to her surprised. "I mean it's you, you're Troy, _my _Troy-and I know that sounds so incredibly greedy considering everything but it's true." She said quickly, holding back the sob that was itching its way up her dry throat. "I mean, you're the boy who I spent almost every waking minute with for three years. You're the boy who showed me my love for art and made me gain more confidence then I ever could have found- you made me brave. You're the boy I lost my virginity to and you're the very first boy I've ever fallen in love with. I love you Troy-but it's not the way I love Josh-or even as I would love a brother or Chad. You have your own little category and I don't know what to label it." She said and Troy frowned as he wiped away the tears falling down her cheek and gathering in the corner of lips.

"You know, you have your own little spot with me." He muttered softly as he continued to stroke the evidence of her sadness away. "And it's one of the reasons I love you so much, because no matter how many people I meet, you're the only person who can ever fill that void. And I'm not whole without you in it."

Again she felt herself choking back the sobs that were begging to arise like a poisonous vile and siren to whoever would listen and offer their comfort because in that short visit, she realized two things that brought her more heartache then she ever would have expected. One: She would never stop loving him and two: if she wanted things to work with Josh, Troy couldn't be in the picture.

"Troy…I-I have to go." She mumbled sadly and surprisingly, he nodded in understanding but which came even more as a shock then his acceptance was Gabriella leaning in and pressing a sweet, quick kiss to his lips and it sent an expression of surprise over Troy's features before he smiled at her, unbeknownst to the motives behind the gesture.

The kiss was short-brief but meaningful. Just like a wife kissing her husband goodbye.

* * *

**Review please.**

**Dani**


	10. New and Old Friends

**Thanks for all the incredible reviews! I can't believe how many I got last chapter. I'm sorry I've been MIA for a little while. CRAZY work load at school. Sucks. Anyway, I hope you like it and I would LOVE if you could top the wondrous amounts of reviews I received last time. :D**

**Love Dani.**

* * *

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**3505 Mountain View Dr**

**Benny's Ice Cream Parlour**

**July 8th**** 2009**

He couldn't help but smile warmly down at his girlfriend as she giggled and stared down into her ice cream. Her beautiful hair was loose and flowing in delicate waves down her back, a midnight blue tank top covering her slim torso and a jean skirt exposing her long legs.

He was happy to see her smiling again; see her laughing and opening her arms to let him back in. She had been so reserved lately so…distracted. He obviously noticed something was wrong. He wasn't stupid and well, Gabriella was no actress. She was never good at hiding how she was feeling, the expressive brown iris centering her large and rounded eyes always a dead give away to her emotions.

Something was hidden in the small town they were vacationing in. Something Gabriella didn't want him to know about. He had sensed it months ago when he first brought up her previous home out of curiosity, knowing she didn't speak of it much. And as she shifted her eyes and stuttered her words he knew Wilton Valley was more then an old place of residence.

He was tempted to ask her. _More_ then tempted. He wanted to know why she was so closed off ever since they entered the place he was quickly falling in love with. But he knew not to pry considering Gabriella had always been slightly secretive-around him anyway. Her caution towards their relationship always scared him. He didn't know where they stood or how she thought of their future. It was like one day she'd be so extremely happy and affectionate and the next…her head was just somewhere else. And her distance grew the longer they were in Wilton.

Except for today.

Today she had done a complete 180-like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wasn't hiding away from him or watching what she was saying. She wasn't tip toeing around the town or staring at him with an unknown emotion in her sparkling eyes. She was being the girl he fell in love with all those months ago and he couldn't have been happier.

There were many things Josh loved about Gabriella Montez. Her laugh, for one was always so intoxicating to hear, it was the sweetest sound he could ever encounter. And her intellect and creativity was just so sexy and admirable. Another was the fact that she could always hold her own in a dispute, never cowering away from a debate and wouldn't quit until she had won, or at least made her point, something that made his toes curl in desire and his stomach knot as his infatuation with her only grew.

However, one thing he didn't like so much-besides her secrecy- was her forethought. She was always careful-planning each and every step. He always urged her to be spontaneous and rash-just once he'd love to see her on impulse. He found himself shaking his head at the thought. Like that would ever happen.

If he only knew…

"Seriously, who gets vanilla?" She asked with another giggle and he looked down at his ice cream.

"Evidently lots of people. Considering they sell it. It's probably the most popular flavour on the market." He told her matter of factly and she giggled while rolling her eyes at his intelligence.

"No, chocolate is. They only sell vanilla because people like to add stuff like chocolate syrup and sprinkles to it. I don't even think vanilla should be considered as a flavour. It _has_ no flavour." She debated and it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"It has tons of flavour!" He argued and she only giggled again shaking her head stubbornly. Josh then just smiled warmly at her, love and adoration shining through his hazel iris which didn't go unnoticed by Gabriella.

"What?" She asked bashfully noticing his loving stare.

"Nothing." He smiled wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I'm just so glad to see you back to your old self. You've been so…distant lately. I was beginning to get worried." He muttered with a look of concern briefly sweeping across his face as he thought back to the last couple of days and Gabriella's giddy smile slowly faded as guilt layered the bottom of her stomach and tugged at her bellybutton.

How was she supposed to respond to that? Tell him he was crazy and was just seeing things-being paranoid? Or tell him her odd behaviour had been because of the reunion with her secret ex-husband? Neither seemed like a proper reply but luckily she was saved by the bell as a ringing filled the small, blindingly white shop.

It took her a while to realize it was his cell phone.

"Sorry. That's probably work." He said and she was no longer looking at the ring as a life line, instead she frowned as he tore the shiny device from his pocket and informed her he'd be taking the call outside. She only nodded sadly before looking back to her melting ice cream wondering how long he'd be on the phone for. She sighed predicting the outcome of their afternoon. They'd most likely be heading back home so Josh could park himself in front of the computer and talk business.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked down at her lap, her eyes catching the suede of her boots that ended just below her knee and she actually found herself smiling at the memory. Her legs crossed, one over the other she stuck her foot out and tilted her head as she stared at the fashionable footwear, or "fishing boots" as Troy liked to call them.

She hadn't seen him at all since she stopped by his house yesterday and she didn't plan to go anywhere near him for the remainder of what Josh called a "vacation." The less she saw of Troy the fewer stabs of guilt pricked her insides and control and sense crept back into her system making her feel like herself rather then the infatuated teenager she once was. Though little things kept reminding her of him. Things like town landmarks or clothing she had worn in his presence-her boots for instance.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the tiny bell dinged from above the clear door. Expecting it to be her brunette boyfriend she looked away from her feet and towards the entrance, though her body suddenly tensed as the person sauntering into the air-conditioned parlour was the last person she would have expected. Her dark eyes penetrated the equally dim brown as she froze in her seat.

Gabriella watched Taylor bite her lip, debating whether or not to go over and talk to her or just pretend they had never stumbled upon the other, but finally, she sucked in a deep breath and slowly walked in her direction making Gabriella straighten her slouched position and become alert before sending a wary smile to her old best friend.

"Hi…" She said slowly and Gabriella swallowed.

"Hi." Gabriella replied.

"I'm just here grabbing some ice cream for Chad. He has a sore throat so I thought I'd surprise him with some-"

"Chunky Monkey and Cherry Vanilla Blast. Two scoops." Gabriella recited and Taylor looked at her slightly surprised only to see her small smile. "I remember." She added softly thinking back to when she, Chad, Taylor and Troy would all head to the local ice cream shop, Chad always ordering the same combination of dessert, though not without fighting with Taylor the entire time. While Troy and Gabriella on the other hand….well, they would just make out.

My how things have changed.

Even though Taylor was courteous enough to invite her to the fireworks she was still nervous as to her opinion of her. She wasn't sure if Taylor was still angry at her for what happened all those years ago or if she moved past it or if she simply just didn't care for her. But one thing she _did_ know was whenever she so much as breathed the same air as the dark skinned girl, a stench of embarrassment would leak from every pore of Gabriella's flawless skin, always flushing at her naïve and over-dramatic teenage persona during the time of their friendship.

Taylor's voice seemed to break her from the humiliating thoughts of what tore them apart though the red tint didn't disperse from her cheeks.

"Yeah…" She said her lips slowly turning up into a smile which took the now shy Gabriella by surprise before she then watched her peer into the paper cup stationed in Gabriella's olive coloured hand. "Chocolate and cookies and cream. Doesn't look like your orders changed either." Taylor said making her smile and shake her head.

"I guess not." Gabriella replied light heartedly, a relieved and happy smile playing on her lips.

"So…" She started awkwardly and Gabriella nodded before her eyes lit up as her manners kicked in.

"Do you want to sit down? I mean I think Josh is going to be a while. He's outside on the phone." She said offering the adjacent seat and Taylor eyed the spot hesitantly. "I mean, I'd totally understand if you have to get back to Chad or whatever but…"

"No it's fine." She said quietly before carefully sitting in the seat across from Gabriella clutching her purse to her chest. It was weird seeing her again. So many things have happened between the two but if it wasn't for Taylor she wouldn't be living a wonderful life in New York with a great boyfriend, so she should really thank her….right?

"Um…Gabi…" she paused hesitantly before looking around her in case any of the towns infamous busybodies would have a prying ear open for their conversation. "Chad told me you and Troy hung out the other day." She said quietly and Gabriella froze, her eyes darting around the room before they reflexively landed on Josh who she could see through the large window still on the shiny silver cellular device. "Does that mean you guys are on good terms again?" Gabriella took a while before answering.

"No…Tay." She mumbled slowly and Taylor only looked at her disappointed-an emotion Gabriella would have least expected from Taylor- before she then nodded her head of short black hair, sitting back in her seat seeing Gabriella wasn't going to add anything more to her reply.

"Oh…"

"Has he…said anything to you?"

"Not really. He and Chad were hanging out last night and he kept asking about you but that was about it." She said with a shrug not noticing Gabriella's sudden change in demeanour. Her heart squeezed and her stomach filled with the familiar butterflies she used to get so frequently. He was asking about her?

Though the hopeful questioning chorused through her head she only accused the abrupt reaction on the fact that she wanted to know how Troy was feeling about their last conversation. She knew it was selfish but she couldn't stand the thought of Troy-someone who made such an impact on her life- hating or thinking horribly of her. She had lived five years with that thought looming over her and she didn't want to go through it again.

"What…what was he asking? I mean… did Chad say?" She asked her throat dry and Taylor just looked at her curiously before shrugging again.

"Just if we had talked to you-oh and when you were leaving." She said and Gabriella felt her spirits dampen as she was reminded of her departure but told herself it was because she was going to miss her loving parents and the beautiful scenery. "So…when…when _are _you leaving?" She asked almost reluctantly and Gabriella sensed a touch of sadness laced into her voice making her frown.

"The eleventh." She said and Taylor nodded while keeping her eyes down at the table. "Tay… Josh doesn't know about…everything and I don't want him to, so please if you could…" She broke off watching as Taylor looked at her surprised.

"You mean he doesn't know about Troy?" She asked in a hushed voice and Gabriella shook her head slowly feeling the remorse rip away at her again. She stared at her in slight shock before vigorously nodding her head. "I won't tell, I promise." She said and Gabriella smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you." She said shyly and Taylor only nodded another pause casting over the duo, though to Gabriella's surprise and ultimate happiness it was less awkward then the last.

"Um…Gabi? A bunch of the town is going to the hills tomorrow to dance and listen to music, just to celebrate making it through the week I guess." She giggled quietly and Gabriella smiled.

"They still do that here?" She asked watching Taylor nod. At least every second weekend the town would throw a recreational BBQ up by Fairbanks where anyone of Wilton was allowed to attend. You could dance and socialize and it looks like it was going on tomorrow. It was always so much fun. Troy would twirl her until she'd get so dizzy and beg for mercy before they'd end up in a ball of laughter. Gabriella smiled at the memory.

"Uh, Troy…will be there, I don't know if that matters but he's going. He promised to be Mrs Otis's date since husband number five left." She giggled and Gabriella smiled widely, laughing along with Taylor at the news.

Mrs Otis was one of the women in Wilton who strived on gossip. She was in her early fifties, slightly over-weight and had frizzy blonde hair, always sporting long and colourful shawls and dramatic eye shadow. She was most known for her thirst for scandal and numerous failed marriages.

"He better watch out…he might be husband number six." She joked lightly before Taylor only looked at her slightly awkwardly shifting in her seat and Gabriella just realized the irony behind her words.

"Um, I should go. But I know Chad and I would really like to catch up with you, you should come tomorrow, it's going to be a lot of fun." She told her and Gabriella looked back into her cup. She really shouldn't. Troy would be there, and starting yesterday she was avoiding Troy-a Troy _cleanse_ if you will.

"I'll be there." She promised watching the wide grin stretch across her friends face. Did she really just _agree _to go?

It was great seeing you." She said truthfully and the sincerity in Taylor's tone was enough to pull Gabriella from the surprise of her own voice promising her presence at the social event-one that would be including the man she promised herself she'd no longer go in the same vicinity as. Nonetheless, Gabriella had an odd sense of happiness fill her heart at Taylor's words.

"You too Tay." She said happily before watching her make her way to the counter, Gabriella beaming that their feud so many years ago must not still linger in her old best friend's heart.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**McKinley Heights High School**

**July 6th 2002**

_Gabriella's eyes couldn't help but shift to the cell phone lying discretely in her lap as she went from continuously checking the time to constantly checking if she had received a reply to her last text. The warming sun taunted her as she sat in the lifeless desk listening to the droning voice of the science teacher in front of her, enduring yet another day of summer school._

_She and Taylor had mutually decided they'd take Bio 30 during the summer so they wouldn't have to during their final year of high school. Though now she hated the idea and evidently so was Troy, not liking the fact that she was stuck in class for the entire morning five days a week while he was at home._

_Her phone suddenly sprung to life in her lap and she gripped it in her hands trying to silence the sound of vibration. Glancing at her teacher she then slid the phone open and smiled at the reply._

'_I miss u 2 Kansas. Don't worry ten more min and ur free. I'll be there to pick u up like always. And tell Taylor! She'll be happy I know she will. Xox Troy.'_

_She glanced over to Taylor who was quickly scribbling notes into her notebook and bit down on her lip. She still hadn't told her the news of the engagement because of her arrival the second before the bell had a chance to ring. The reason behind her unusual timing that morning was because Troy so kindly offered to wake up earlier then need be and drop her off at the school. However, they took longer then anticipated to say goodbye, their tiny and loving pecks somehow turning into making out in the cab of his truck. Stupid hormones. Anyway, so that's why she was unable to talk to Taylor first thing and instead was shooed into the boring classroom._

_She was a little nervous to how she would take the news but something inside of her agreed with Troy, knowing she'd be happy for the young couple. If anyone knew how much Troy and Gabriella loved one another it would be Taylor right? So why wouldn't she be happy?_

'_Ur rite. I'll tell her after class. Can't wait till I'm out of here and in ur arms :) __xox Gabi'_

_Almost immediately she felt her phone once again shake as it received the quick reply and she smiled at his speedy fingers._

'_I'm already out the door :)__ see u soon baby. Luv u.'_

_She sighed to herself content before closing the phone and stuffing it back in her pocket, her eager eyes shooting back up to the clock seeing there was still five more minutes before the bell would ring and she would be free, though to pass the time she found herself happily playing with the ring stationed on her left hand._

_The band looked slightly scuffed and tinted but it still shone gold, supporting a tiny diamond in the shape of a heart. Gabriella had fallen in love with the ring the second she saw it in the tiny pawn shop Troy so sweetly surprised her with only yesterday. The meaningful piece of jewellery was small and inexpensive but she had made an oath to herself to wear it religiously and hadn't taken it off since Troy slipped it on her dainty finger._

"_Tay." Gabriella whispered and watched Taylor reluctantly look away from the speaking teacher and to her friend. "I have to tell you something after class okay?" She said looking back up to the clock. Two more minutes._

"_Everything okay?" She asked in a hushed voice of her own and she soon watched a wide smile spread across Gabriella's mouth._

"_Everything's perfect." She replied and Taylor only raised an eyebrow at her giddy grin before returning back to her notes._

_And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang._

_She quickly gathered her books stuffing them into the fabric bag that now hung from her shoulder, Taylor copying her movements before waiting for the happy brunette instead of waving and rushing to her mom who was most likely in the awaiting vehicle in the parking lot since apparently, Gabriella had something to say._

"_So what's up?" Taylor asked her walking into the hallway and Gabriella's cheeks turned a subtle shade of pink as her smile went so wide her cheeks started to hurt._

"_Oh well there's something I really want to tell you." She said as they made their way through the slightly empty hall and to the parking lot. "You're probably going to think I'm totally crazy." She giggled and Taylor smiled at the happiness that glowed over Gabriella's tanned skin. _

"_Just tell me already, the suspense is killing me." She giggled and Gabriella smiled._

"_Well…at the fireworks…Troy…he __**proposed**__." She finally told her which was enough to make Taylor stop in her tracks and stare at her friend wide-eyed._

"_What?" She blinked staring at her shocked while Gabriella nodded her head happily. "He-he proposed? As in __**marriage**__?"_

"_Uh huh." Gabriella giggled grasping the strap of the bag happily._

"_You said no right?" She asked and Gabriella's smile quickly fell from her mouth._

"_What? No. I said yes." She told her scrunching her eyebrows confused as she whipped out her left hand and Taylor's already wide eyes grew bigger as she grabbed her hand. "Troy drove me all the way up to Port Lions to pick out a ring from this cute little pawn shop. Sweet isn't it?"_

"_You and Troy are getting married?" She asked in pure disbelief._

"_Yup." The smile once again found its way on Gabriella's face as Taylor's remained blank. Because of her young and naïve persona she waited for the coos and awes and congratulatory hugs but Taylor only shook her head._

"_Are you insane!? You're seventeen years old! How do you even know Troy's the right guy for you!?" Feeling a great feeling of protection for her boyfriend Gabriella ripped her hand from her grasp and looked at her with a mixture of emotions._

"_Troy's the one Taylor."_

"_You can't find "the one" at seventeen! That's just stupid!"_

"_How would you know!? Have you ever even been in love Taylor?"_

"_Gabriella what about Med School? What about all that stuff about waiting until you're done school before settling down with someone?"_

"_What __**about**__ Med school? Who says I even __**want**__ to go to Med School anymore? You know how much I've been getting into painting and Troy's showing me some really cool tricks. Tay things have changed…for the better. I love Troy and Troy loves me."_

"_Not go to Med School!? Are you crazy!?" It seemed to be the only point Taylor grasped making Gabriella sigh irritated. "You're only a kid! You're making a huge mistake! And I'm not going to stand by and watch you do it!" Finally Gabriella had enough. She glowered at Taylor who had a look of bewilderment stamped across her pretty features before Gabriella then shook her head angrily._

"_Fine Taylor you don't have to!" She screamed before spinning on her heel and heading to the exit in a fierce stride now wanting to see Troy more then ever._

"_You're making a mistake Gabriella!" She said again chasing after her and Gabriella only blinked the forming tears away before shoving the door open._

"_I thought you'd be happy for me!" She called back, her voice cracking slightly, though she knew very well she was the one who had doubts about Taylor's take on the news._

"_Why would I ever be happy about this!?"_

"_Because I'm happy! Troy makes me happy!" She yelled spinning on her heels so she could glare at her supposed best friend._

"_You're asking me to support you while you throw your entire life away!"_

"_I'm asking you to support me and see that I love Troy more then anything." She said. Pain then cast over Gabriella's features at Taylor's disapproval while Taylor's dark head only shook._

"_You haven't even been with him that long. Think rationally Gabriella." _

"_What do you know?" She growled more to herself then her friend deciding not to let her opinion taint the thing that only minutes ago had her practically clicking her heels. After a shake of a head, Gabriella turned back around, tears once again stinging her eyes. She breathed out in relief as she saw Troy leaning against the side of his rusty old truck, the smoke billowing from his lips like a signal for safety and her pace sped up; the anger and sadness Taylor had caused slowly going away the closer their bodies grew. Even though his eyes were hidden behind the dark aviators she could see his face contort into confusion at her angry stride before taking one last suck from the white stick between his thumb and pointer finger and throwing it to the ground blowing out the remain smoulder behind him as to not pollute her air as he pushed himself from the truck taking a step forward._

"_Hey beautiful I was just-" He was cut off as he watched her drop her book bag to the ground and cling onto him in a tight hug, her arms locking around his waist and her face hiding in the fabric of his shirt as if he'd shield her away from all of Taylor's negativity. His arms quickly wrapped around her, his eyebrows scrunching confused before he looked up to see Taylor standing there shocked and slightly angry. That's when it suddenly clicked._

"_Tay not take it well?" He guessed; his voice soft and sympathetic as he heard her sniffle in his chest._

"_No." She answered shortly her words muffled by his T-shirt. He looked up from the top of her straight hair and back to an infuriated Taylor who was shaking her head at him and his frown deepened while his hold on her tightened. A sudden disappointment and irritation of his own bubbled in his stomach before he heard the soft whimper in his arms. "Can we just go?" She mumbled lifting her head from his chest and after a short second Troy quickly nodded, snatching her bag from the ground and tossing it into the truck through the rolled down window before opening the door and letting her hoist herself up into the cab before Troy then quickly hurried to his own side. _

_The last thing Gabriella heard was Taylor's angry yell as they pulled out of the parking lot._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**3505 Mountain View Dr**

**Benny's Ice Cream Parlour**

**July 8****th**** 2009**

Gabriella only sighed at the memory, the familiar feeling of embarrassment running through her as she thought back to it and cursed her behaviour. She still couldn't believe the way she reacted towards Taylor's disapproval. It was childish and over-dramatic. But she was just so hurt and angry that someone actually wanted to keep her from marrying Troy that she was willing to drop her just like that, and it still hurt Gabriella to this day that it kept them apart for so long.

But like she's said, love can make a person do crazy things.

Chad had taken it the same way as Taylor once Troy told him their plan to wed and well, Troy had reacted the same way Gabriella had. Claiming he didn't know what he was talking about and that he loved her and wanted nothing more then the promise he gave her when he slipped the inexpensive ring on her finger.

It was then Troy promised her it'd just be him and her forever-that they didn't need Tay and Chad to hold their hands through the process nor did they need their parents support. They believed they had something special and ignorant eyes shouldn't be the ones to make their choices. And Gabriella whole heartedly agreed.

She bit her lip as she set down the cup that was still fill with a little bit of the treat that was slowly melting into a sugary puddle within the paper. Her head slowly swivelled to see Josh's lips move before he nodded and slammed the silver phone shut before she looked back down to the speckled table.

The bell dinged and Josh sauntered over to where she was silently sitting. "Mind if we head back to your parents house? I just have to e-mail a contract to New York quickly." He said only receiving a nod from his girlfriend, though he smiled brightly at her otherwise still believing she had changed her standoffish ways.

Marrying Troy tore her away from Taylor and sent Troy and Chad in an ugly dispute for months. It slandered her name and caused great difficulty in the long run with further relationships, not to mention produced annoying and tiring secrets and lies.

But not once did she ever feel remorse for not listening to Taylor that day in July. She never regretted saying "I do" to the blue eyed man that once had her heart racing and she was pretty sure she never would. No matter how many times she verbally claimed the lie that she did.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 8th 2009**

She grunted and tugged on the shiny handle of her pink suitcase, glaring miserably at the white wooden stairs that made it an impossibility to escort her many clothes towards the door.

"The things I do for my friends…" She grumbled angrily under her breath before she finally groaned, the frustration getting the best of her as her muscles didn't seem enough to hurdle the pink case over the final step. With one angry seethe, she-unthinkingly- jerked out her pampered foot to kick the nuisance aggravated. As intended, her expensive Jimmy Choo's hit the solid luggage, though it made the suitcase tumble down the stairs with loud thuds and clangs along the way, which only had her groaning even louder, her arms flapping from annoyance as she stared down the very few steps that led to the Montez threshold. "Fucking stairs." She muttered, thumping down the two out of three steps she had made up to grab her now ridiculously dirty suitcase for the third time.

Her usually perfectly styled blonde hair was now going every which way in a very unflattering "poof" already being affected by the humidity. Her pink sweats with the rhinestones incrusted on the butt spelling out her name were already dirty from being dragged in the tiny rocks that lined the driveway only to mix with the dry mud that caked the hem of her pant legs and her freshly manicured nails were chipping from her attempts to climb the porch stairs with the heavy baggage. Not to mention from the clawing she had done to the poor plush of her seat on the plane. Obviously she was not a fan of flying.

And as if to top it all off, her heel ricochet with one of the pebbles sitting on the landscape as she reached for her case which sent her swiftly to the ground. Lucky for her she was able to whip out her hand and instead of landing painfully on her butt she had caught herself in the nick of time with her right hand, which was now burning from tiny cuts as the gravel pierced her skin.

"Fuck!" She yelled loudly at her less then graceful fall ready to kick at the tiny stones that caused her latest annoyance before relief spread through her as she heard her best friend's voice.

"Sharpay?" A shocked Gabriella questioned as she and Josh walked up to the house, coming back from their afternoon of getting ice cream. Gabriella's wide eyes finally comprehended her position and quickly hurried over to help her stand. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean "what am I doing here?" What you should be asking is why the hell I'm only getting here now!"

"Wha…" Gabriella said slowly obviously confused and still consumed by surprise as Sharpay cringed at the sting of her palm, looking down at her burning hand before brushing off her pants.

"You sounded so upset on the phone the other night; you think I'm just going to sit on my ass in New York?" She asked rhetorically more focused on her surroundings then reuniting with Gabriella again as she glared murderously at the rocks beneath her now shaky legs.

Gabriella couldn't help but smile widely at her friend's loyalty before she remembered Josh as standing right next to her.

"You were upset?" He asked worriedly, quickly scurrying closer and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. It was then when Sharpay froze her movements from continuing to clean any dirt that had gathered on the bright fabric of her pants, her brown eyes widening as she realized her slip before she slowly looked up to meet Gabriella's worried eyes.

"Oh um…well, Ella was just…" Sharpay started but broke off as she came up short, desperately trying to think of an excuse.

"It was right after I talked with Taylor." Gabriella lied quietly her eyes trained to the ground. "I was feeling a little upset and I called Sharpay." She continued, her mind automatically reeling back to her and Taylor's conversation earlier. At that moment she hated herself even more for producing yet another lie but she was at her wits end. What else was she supposed to do? Tell Josh everything? That was highly unlikely.

"Right." Sharpay said quickly and it seemed to put Josh at ease as he nodded and squeezed her shoulder before dropping his arm. The blonde then sighed as she looked down at her suitcase and then to Joshua. "So what? You just going to stand there or help me get this thing up the stairs?"

As Gabriella watched Josh sigh and grip the handle of the expensive and brightly coloured luggage with Sharpay's initials embedded on the pocket she bit fiercely down on her lip.

Clueless boyfriends, enamoured ex-husbands, reacquainted friendships and new ones hauling in, Wilton Valley was beginning to be too much for Gabriella to handle.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry for any mistakes. I promise I'll start posting new chapters for my other stories soon as well just please be patient I've been crazy busy, but I already have some written for a couple stories so hang in there. And Review Please!!!**

**Dani.**


	11. Amazing

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 8th**** 2009**

She had been in the town for less then three hours and she could already tell that it held something stronger then small town charm and amusing road signs that could be twisted into sexual innuendos. For starters, Gabriella was like a fucking celebrity. Everywhere they went the brunette would have someone shooting glances at her or letting an occasional gasp slip as if they had just seen their favourite day time soap actor. And now, only mere hours after arriving, the questioning looks and not-so-subtle whispers were quickly starting to spread onto the blonde.

People were so weird and invasive, Sharpay found out rather quickly about the small, almost unknown town. It seemed the population always needed to know everyone's secrets, striving off them as if they could be used as currency. She wasn't able to count the amount of times people came marching up to her wondering about Gabriella and digging into her and the ex husbands past. She could tell by the gawking looks-some of sympathy, some of anguish pointed to Gabriella and Josh that this wasn't a town for privacy; where gossip and scandal was almost socially acceptable.

And so far, Sharpay was _loving _Wilton Valley.

In true, Sharpay Evans fashion she had been raking in the attention and basking in every minute of it. She never understood why Gabriella blushed so ruby, for the blonde loved the spotlight, something that drew her to Broadway.

"Jesus Shar, how long are you planning to stay for?" Gabriella asked looking into the massive suitcase filled to the brim with luxurious and lavish clothes.

"However long it takes to get you out of this funk." She replied while walking over to the closet stationed in the guest room.

Mr and Mrs Montez had unexpectedly been thrilled to meet Gabriella's friend from New York and insisted she sleep in the room down the hall from Gabriella's during her stay, after which she was then bombarded with questions about her occupation and lifestyle, though Sharpay figured a welcoming wasn't a hard thing to get in a house like Mr and Mrs Montezs.

"I'm not in a funk." She said, a small pout crossing her lips as she folded her legs delicately to coordinate with her skirt as she sat on the bed.

"Oh, you are _so_ in a funk." She retorted as she lazily dropped a T-shirt into a drawer. Gabriella had told her she was crazy for unpacking, she'd be leaving in three short days anyway might as well have the benefit of avoiding the hassle of re-packing right? Wrong. Because Sharpay had looked at her as if she grew a second head and told her that if she did that, then her clothes would wrinkle. And apparently that was the end of the world.

"It's not so much of a funk; more of a…whirl wind of confusion and bad decisions." She said with an exasperated sigh and Sharpay smiled before glancing at the hallway cautiously after which seeing the coast clear, she scurried to the bed, jumping excitedly next to Gabriella and tucking her hands under her knees. Gabriella only raised her eyebrows amused at Sharpay's sudden change of demeanour and felt like a teenager at a slumber party as the blonde stared at her with expectancy and mischief.

"So…since we're on that subject…" She hinted though Gabriella chose to play oblivious, the amusement that once cast over her face slowly vanishing and instead innocence had decided to replace it.

"What are you talking about?" She feigned ignorance as she flipped through the magazine she guessed Sharpay read on the plane.

"Don't act stupid." She told her. "When do I get to meet the husband?" She asked in a hushed voice and Gabriella's eyes almost bugged out of her head as she glanced to the open door before back into Sharpay's brown eyes.

"Shar, Josh is right down stairs!" She hissed before adding: "And it's _ex _husband okay?"

"Same thing." She repeated the words she had sung on the phone with a shrug of her shoulders and Gabriella simply rolled her eyes.

"No Sharpay, it's not the same at all considering I'm not married to him anymore." She said and it was Sharpay who then rolled her eyes dramatically.

"But you so still want to be." She said with a knowing smirk and the words were almost enough to knock Gabriella from the bed. Her eyes shot up to her, widening in the process as the ridiculous accusation made shock run through her veins like never before.

"What?" Gabriella questioned, surprise etched over her face. "Are you insane!? Troy and I were…a train wreck." She said with a shake of her head, her face still pale from Sharpay's words.

"That's not what you said before…" Sharpay sung teasingly earning a glare from the brunette and a cautious glance to the hall.

"I was drunk alright? And it was right after I moved to New York; I didn't know what I was saying."

"Oh please. Everyone knows the truth comes out when you're drunk. Just admit it. If Josh wasn't in the picture you'd probably still be crying over the Mr to your Mrs." She said with the same light and teasing tone, a smug smile sketching over her tan face.

Sharpay's mood to the conversation had surprised her. Of course she knew that Sharpay had always wondered about Troy, and had the dire urge to meet him, however speaking with her over the phone Gabriella figured Sharpay would be more disapproving then teasing. Although, it _was_ Sharpay, and you never knew what to expect with Sharpay.

"Shar…" Gabriella groaned. "Can we not get into this? I'm already confused enough."

"You mean about who you love more?" She asked quickly and Gabriella only shot a warning glance at her.

"_No_." Gabriella told her pointedly. "It's obvious that Josh is the one I want to be with." She told her confidently, though on the inside the immediate pro's and cons list had gone off, and the familiar knots in her stomach and jump start of her heart didn't match the assurance she conveyed to her friend.

"_Right_…" She droned out unconvinced. "Cause sleeping with the ex really proves that-" She said sarcastically though as it slipped from her lips Gabriella's hand quickly clamped over the blondes mouth shushing her instantly.

"Shhh Shar!" She screeched jumping from the bed and closing the door. Sharpay only laughed at her frazzled friend and leaned into a more comfortable position. "It was a mistake alright?"

"Do you regret it?" Sharpay asked though she already knew the answer.

"Of course!" Gabriella answered quickly before the act of confidence was beginning to crumble and Sharpay smirked, noticing the failing charade. "Well…I mean…yes I have to…I mean it was wrong…"

"Doesn't mean it's regrettable." She said and Gabriella looked at her almost distressed. "You know what I think?" Sharpay asked perking her posture as she bounced up on her knees from the comfortable slouch on the bed. Gabriella only looked at her urging for the blonde to continue. "I think it's sexy. It's so naughty and scandalous."

"Shar come on. Don't patronize me. I heard you on the phone; you couldn't believe the horrible thing I'd done." She replied sadly as she sank onto the bed with a sigh and a ripple of the familiar guilt racing through her veins.

"Well…I've thought about it, and I've decided it's now officially hot! I mean it's like _Fatal Attraction_!"

"Shar!" Gabriella giggled. "You realize that makes me a stalker! And Troy would have to be married for it to be like the movie."

"Maybe he is. Apparently he's a big fan of it." Sharpay teased and Gabriella's jaw dropped as she let out a loud laugh and nudged Sharpay's shoulder in a light shove making her giggle. "You know…" Sharpay started, her lips pursed as she mused aloud, "Troy's a hot guy name. Is he hot?"

"Troy is not a hot guy name!" Gabriella giggled. "Is there even such a thing?"

"Yes! Definitely! Names beginning with 'T' are like…a natural aphrodisiac." She told her zealously making both girls giggle hysterically.

"What!?" Gabriella couldn't control her laughter as she fell back on the bed clutching her stomach.

"I'm serious!" She giggled staring at her friend amused. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw the happiness spread through the brunette and it made a feeling of triumph wash over her as Gabriella's demeanour that, to Sharpay, had her looking lost and confused, changed back into her fun-loving best friend in New York. "So come on spill, is he? Obviously right? I mean it was enough to get you into bed with him." She said with a naughty giggle and Gabriella only rolled her eyes with a giggle of her own as she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

"Well…I mean he's _attractive… _in an obvious way. If you're into that sort of thing." She mumbled shyly with a shrug of her shoulders, her eyes suddenly becoming fascinated with the bedspread as her fingers traced the pattern sewn into the blanket.

"That's the best kind of way." She said and Gabriella giggled and nodded her head.

"He's really sweet too." A soft smile graced Gabriella's features which didn't go unnoticed by Sharpay who had a smile of her own.

"You really liked this guy huh?" She asked gently and Gabriella quickly snapped out of her trance and looked to Sharpay, her movements now fidgety.

"Well, when I was a kid I did…but I mean things have changed and I'm with Josh and-"

"Ella," Sharpay laughed, "its okay. I'm not judging you, or saying that you still love him or anything, I'm just asking." With that, Gabriella smiled at her friend and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I really did. Too much." Gabriella laughed sadly to herself as she looked down into her lap. "Shar…" she called hesitantly, "have you ever loved someone, but weren't sure if you were _in_ love with them?" She asked, her eyebrows scrunching. "I mean, is there such a thing?"

"I like to think there is." She replied honestly. "I mean, I love my dog, but I'm not _in_ love with it." She said making Gabriella giggle. "But something tells me you're not talking about a dog…" She muttered softly and Gabriella looked at her before quickly glancing back down to her lap.

"No…"

"Love's a complicated thing Gab. There are so many different kinds of it out there."

"Well, what's the difference of it all? How can you separate it; separate the people belonging to it?"

"I think somewhere you just know…you know?" She asked and Gabriella chewed on the inside of her cheek as she played with her skirt.

"But I don't." She whispered, her eyes starting to sting with tears and Sharpay frowned. "I mean, it's _Troy_." To Gabriella, that explained it all, however remembering Sharpay and the blank spots of her knowledge about their relationship, Gabriella continued. "He's taught me so much, and I like to think he's made me who I am. He introduced me to my love for art and so many other things. He was such a big part in my life. How can I not love him? But I mean…am I still…_in_ love with him?"

"That's something you have to figure out." She told her and Gabriella sighed as she already knew Sharpay wouldn't be able to answer her question.

"I know…" She mumbled. "Things with Josh are just so easy you know? So clear cut. I don't have to feel this way with him…"

"That's good." Sharpay said honestly, and in her opinion, it was good. "You shouldn't have to fear anything, or tip toe around your feelings in a relationship."

"But with Troy…" she broke off with a sigh, "we click. We just get along so well and it's exciting yet terrifying at the same time."

"That's good too. Excitement is always a plus." She said with a small nod and Gabriella almost groaned as she looked at her friend tired of her agreement. She wanted someone to tell her what to do, to guide her through her decision and be able to feel what she was feeling and just…know. Know what was right and know the best solution, know the best way to handle everything. Someone just to make things better.

"Tell me what to do. What do I do? Keep playing house or sacrifice everything for someone who I have absolute zero control over?" Gabriella asked desperately.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" She asked as she leaned back on her hands and Gabriella groaned, flopping back on the bed. "So what's fun to do around here? Besides weddings?" Gabriella chose to ignore her last comment and instead focused on the string that dangled from her denim skirt.

"Well…actually, they're throwing this party tomorrow night."

"Party?" Sharpay's eyes seemed to light up at the word and Gabriella giggled lightly.

"Don't get too excited. It's nothing like a New York party. Just sort of a fun get-together. They have music and you can dance and stuff. It's an all age's kind of thing." She said and Gabriella once again laughed as her friends hopeful face fell watching as she pushed herself up off the bed to continue unpacking.

"Well I guess that would be cool." She said more to herself then to Gabriella before a sudden realization slowly seeped over her and she turned gradually on her heel to once again face the bed. "Will you-know-who be there?" She asked with a smirk and Gabriella's cheeks turned red as she shrugged and quickly looked back down to her lap.

"I don't know." She lied. "Maybe. Lots of people go."

"Oh he's so going to be there!" She said seeing through her lie and Gabriella only shook her head unconvincingly as she sent her a playful glare before finally giving up on the act.

"Okay, so what if he is?"

"What happened to saying goodbye? Closure and all that. I thought you were avoiding him?"

"I am." She told her unpersuasively and Sharpay only raised an eyebrow. "I mean I will; it's just a dance! Taylor invited me and we just got back on good terms again, I couldn't say no." She said though really she knew it was only half the reason she accepted.

"_Right_…" She once again elongated the word. "Cause it has nothing to do with tall, dark and divorced being there?"

"No." Gabriella giggled finding it amusing the various nicknames she had come up for him as Sharpay rested her hands on her hips and stood in front of her. "I'm doing it for Taylor." She found herself stating strongly though she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more, the blonde or herself.

"Mhmm. Whatever you say." She said unconvinced and Gabriella rolled her eyes before playfully grabbing a handful of clothes and shoving them in her arms.

"Just finish unpacking would you?"

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1649 West Benson Boulevard**

**Residence of Chad Danforth and Taylor Mckessie**

**July 8****th**** 2009**

The rattling metal slamming against the hallow wood along with the shouts, some of protest and others of joy echoed through the basement as Troy forcefully spun the handle making the yellow plastic figure kick up and send the white ball down the table, bouncing off of the red player in the goal making Troy groan.

"Suck it Bolton." Chad taunted as he slid down to the left side of the foosball table to play offence. Spinning the black, rubbery handle he sent the ball past Troy's yellow goalie and into the net hearing it clank through the hollow slab before reaching it's destination in the box on Troy's side of the table.

Grumbling Troy simply snatched the ball from its place and pushed it through the circular hole so it rolled to the center, making both boys spring into action and violently twist the handles trying to keep it away from their own end.

"What is that? Like five nothing now?" Chad boasted.

"It's four; don't be trying to give yourself imaginary points." Troy said with a chuckle and Chad rolled his eyes.

"You're just pissy because you suck." He replied twisting his wrist with a flick and watching the ball zoom past the yellow statue making Chad get another goal as well as making Troy curse loudly.

"Fuck!"

"Five points." He said with a cheeky grin. "Face it man, you suck."

"I do not suck." Troy argued once again snatching the ball from its spot on his side of the table and Chad laughed to himself while rolling his eyes. "I'm just having an off day."

"More like an off week." He muttered yet Troy ignored his reply hoping to dodge the subject he knew was coming. Unfortunately, Chad wasn't satisfied with ignoring the elephant that had been placed in the room with such little reference, no instead he shifted slightly trying to come off as casual as he watched Troy sulkily push the fluorescent ball through the circle with another annoyed grumble at the prospect of losing.

"So…since we're on that subject, Tay ran into Gabriella today." He mumbled hesitantly not entirely sure how he would react, knowing Troy's moods tended to waver when Gabriella was mentioned.

"I heard." He muttered scrunching his eyebrows determinedly as he concentrated on the game.

"Oh yeah? From who?"

"Dave saw them talking at the ice cream shop." He replied, Dave being a regular customer at his grandfathers shop. "He told me when I was at the store talking to my grandpa."

"Ah." Chad simply replied before his face scrunched as he put more force into his swings to try and sink the ball in once more, yet Troy was too quick and blocked the shot he attempted, making a triumphant smirk flash across his pink lips. "I haven't seen much of you since she got here." He commented trying to sound nonchalant and Troy glanced up to his friend before quickly averting his gaze back to the table as to not let Chad slip by his defence.

"I've been busy."

"I thought you guys were cool, but she told Tay you weren't so…what's up with that?" He asked and Troy gulped slightly as he tried to keep his mind focused on the game table in front of him rather then letting it reel back to two days ago.

"I don't know." He lied lamely and Chad peaked up at him while remaining hunched over the game he and his best friend adored so much. He didn't like to push when it came to the brunette, knowing it was a very touchy subject for Troy, and could make him explode at any minute, however it was no secret the entire town was dying for answers on the mystery going on between the two ex-lovers, and Chad was included in that curious population.

"She's going tomorrow night." He said and Troy nodded.

"I know that too." He said stiffly and before Chad could ask, Troy answered: "Ran into Mrs Otis today, news travels fast around here." His answers were curt and fixed showing he wanted a change in topic but the bushy haired friend was growing tired of being left in the dark, tired of watching the attitude between the two differ each encounter and just tired of not getting answers.

"Well then you've probably heard that a friend of hers from New York flew in today." Troy's eyebrows scrunched though he didn't dare look away from the green that mocked grass.

"That's a new one." He said referring to a rumour and Chad nodded.

"Yeah, don't know why she's here, all I know is that Hal saw someone he's never seen before go into the Montezs house and then Mrs Montez told Taylor it was her friend from the city."

"Cool." He said not really knowing what else to say.

"Yup." Chad said with a small grunt as he flicked his wrist. "Have you been over there since she came?"

"To David and Teresa's house?" He asked and Chad nodded in confirmation. "No." He replied in a mumble and Chad raised his eyebrows. "I don't think they want me around while she's here anyway. When I drove her home Teresa looked at me like we were back together or something." He said quietly, remembering her slight hostility towards him yet Chad was silent for a short moment, the only noise being heard was the racket of the table smacking and clanging with each powerful twist of the knobs.

"Well…" He started hesitantly breaking the cease of conversation and Troy finally looked up sending him a confused glance and they both halted their hand movements no longer particularly caring about the game. "I could see why she'd think that. I was shocked myself when I heard…it's not everyday you drive your ex-wife home, you know?" He stated carefully and Troy diverted his eyes back to the table as he thought of the many other things he had done with Gabriella, things that he never should have done.

At that thought the instant replay started echoing throughout his head like it did every time a reminder was mentioned. Her moaning beneath him, begging for more, screaming his name…it re-entered the center of his brain, electrifying his entire body as the memory was as clear as day. He could still remember the feeling of their mouths ravishing each others in a desperate need he had never felt before and the gentle shiver that he felt run down her spine, produced from what he only assumed was the drying of her sweat giving her chills. Their bodies had clung to each other in a way they never did when they were kids and making love to Gabriella again had him feeling powerful, loved and triumphant knowing her boyfriend was the last person she was thinking about in that moment…yet after, those feelings and those thoughts…

They just made him feel guilty.

He hadn't told Chad yet, though he contemplated it, not only in the second after she left his house with shame but in that very moment as Chad stared expectantly at him as if he had an answer to clear his past and earn a clean slate, stating he and Gabriella were the best of friends and this Josh guy was a great match for Gabriella and he was happy for them with their perfect domestic lives in New York, but obviously, he couldn't.

He couldn't plaster a big smile on his face and congratulate the man that had evidently won Gabriella once she left Wilton, because in Troy's mind she didn't belong to Josh, she belonged Troy, she was always his and she always would be…he just had to wait until she figured that out. Yet the thoughts of this other guy apparently so in love with the woman he used to drive out to the hills with, the girl who would get chilly in the mildest of cold weather, the one who laughed at his ridiculously lame jokes and the one he dubbed as Kansas, well that made him angry.

"So?" Chad prompted the irritation to Troy's silence lacing with his words. "What _is_ going on between you two? You hate each other but you love each other but your friends that drive each other home…seriously man what the hell-"

"We slept together okay Chad." Troy hissed watching as his friend instantly paled and stared at him with wide eyes. "Is that what you want to hear? I fucked her, and it was a mistake and now I don't know what the hell she wants-oh wait, I _do_ know what she wants, she wants a luxurious life with a luxurious boyfriend in a luxurious city and I can't give her any of that! And I don't know whether to feel guilty or mad or heartbroken but I put up with her bullshit and freaky complicated girl ways because I love her so much that I'd rather be some ex that she fucked once then nothing at all." He said with a huff while slamming the table with force making Chad jump back slightly and the ball roll carefully past the lemon coloured goalie and into the net belonging to Troy. "Dammit!" He yelled as he watched the ball slide in. "What the hell is wrong with this game!?" He asked and Chad couldn't help but snicker slightly as the shock of Troy's outburst was starting to wear off.

"Don't blame your lame ass skills on the table man." Chad said making Troy glare at his teasing. Chad then paused, taking a deep inhale and took time to shake his head choosing his words carefully. He had a pretty good idea _something_ happened between Troy and Gabriella considering the abrupt end of their-for lack of a better word, friendship. Not to mention every time her name would come up in conversation the blue eyed friend would tense and stare off in thought….did he think his best friend jumped her bones? No. But the more he thought about it the less shocking it became. "So…you and Gabster-"

"Yeah." He answered with a sigh and a nod of his head evidently calming down.

"…How was it?" Was his typical male response and Troy chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"I tell you I fucked my ex-wife, who I haven't seen in years and is also in a relationship and you want to know how good the sex is?" He asked slightly amused and Chad just shrugged.

"What? I am your best friend you know. I got to know these things. Was she good?" He asked and Troy couldn't help but smirk slightly as he pushed the florescent ball through the round carving.

"Amazing."

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**So more of a filler then anything, sorry for the late update and the fact this chapter is a little boring…**

**I really wanted to write a conversation between Gabriella and Sharpay before the party but I didn't know what else to add to the chapter so I just made it both Gabriella and Troy confessing in their friends.**

**This isn't going to be a very long story just to warn you guys but I promise the upcoming chapters will be a lot more interesting but like I said not very many chapters left to go :(**

**Anyway review please!!!! **

**Love dani**


	12. Remember When

**Hello just a quick authors note. I know a lot of you are struggling with my characterization in this story and that's fine really, I respect your opinions, to each is own. However I just want to say thank-you to those of you who are taking the time to sympathize with Gabriella even though she's showed less then admirable qualities in this story. Some of you are looking past her mistakes and linking her struggles with the story rather then just calling her out on them and I really appreciate that. I didn't want to write the stereotypically sweet Gabriella this time around so thanks to those of you who, dare I say, encourage me to keep writing Gabriella the way I'm writing her. Also a shout out to ****runninequalslife ****and ****adcgordon**** for your wonderfully sweet reviews I really needed them :)**

* * *

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, danixox**

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Fairbanks Hills**

**September 10****th**** 2001**

_She played with her fingers almost bashfully as she absorbed the concept of standing so close to the boy who had quickly snatched her heart in only eleven short days. He was so undeniably cute with his bright blue eyes and short tussled brown hair that swooped across his forehead and over his right eye. He was sweet and charming, had a sense of humour that always caused her to laugh and the ability to make her feel like the most spectacular person in the world._

_She'd been living in Wilton for over a week and day by day the small town just got better. It was still ridiculously small, chilly, and wasn't an environment she was entirely used to, but the homesick feeling that tugged at her stomach was no match against the flutter of her heart caused by the simplicity of a glance. The resentment she first felt towards her parents for forcing her from her old friends and home was dwindling away the longer she spent in his company, and every time he sent a smile her way, Wilton was her favourite place in the world. The climate, the distance, the nosy population, Troy Bolton made it all worth it._

_She felt him shift uncomfortably next to her and Gabriella looked away from the dance floor and to his bronze face curiously. "You okay?" She asked noticing his restless movements and he quickly looked down at the petite brunette._

"_Mhm, fine." He squeaked before blushing and clearing his throat. Gabriella just giggled, looking at him strangely with a shake of her head before looking back out to see most of the town dancing to the fast beat music. After a long pause and a shaky, supposedly helpful breath of air, Troy's nervous eyes darted back down to her. "Uh, hey Kansas?" He stuttered running his sweaty palms down the denim leg of his jeans._

"_Yeah Troy?" She asked, her eyes glittering at the acknowledgment as she stared up at him hopefully. They had been flirting ever since he first "rescued" her on the lake and since then Gabriella found herself wishing he'd just ask her out already. She was almost positive he knew that she had feelings for him since every time he was within a three foot radius her cheeks flamed in a hot red blush and she got a bad case a verbal diarrhea. If that isn't a warning sign, what is?_

_However she found Troy was slightly harder to read. Of course he sent her that crooked smile and little wink every once in a while which she figured was his way of charming her, but did it have an intention? Was he just flirting for the sake of flirting or did he like her? She could never tell._

_But tonight, tonight he was just being weird._

_His nervous stare gazed down into her brown eyes and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Um…are you- do you…"giving up Troy simply sighed and asked: "are you having fun so far?" He questioned cowardly and Gabriella's hopeful smile transformed into a frown before she nodded and looked off to the side dejected. _

"_Oh yeah, lots of fun." She said glancing back at him to send him a small smile. An awkward silence washed over the pair and Troy's eyes shifted as he wracked his brain for something to start a conversation. Usually chatting with Gabriella flowed so easily, though now all he could concentrate on was his sweaty palms and dry throat. Yet suddenly the subject of moving past the unsettling gauche stillness suddenly took second place for most embarrassing moment as his eyes caught sight of his family on the other side of the lawn._

_His mother was sending him two thumbs up as she smiled happily at him, probably ecstatic to see him with a girl. His father just grinned proudly next to his mother, nodding approvingly while his grandpa just gave him a "what the hell" kind of look wondering why he had yet to see any resulting signs of a boy asking his crush out on a date._

_Troy's face turned bright red as his eyes widened, subtly waving a hand behind Gabriella's head telling them to go away, hiding his motioning hand and plastering a grin on his face when Gabriella smiled up at him sweetly, before going right back to sending daggers at his family to express his humiliation. It was then Troy realized that it wasn't __**just **__his family who stared at him with the mixed emotions of approval, encouragement and some of questioning, but most of the town. The people who had watched the blue eyed boy grow from such a young age smiled excitedly and he would be flattered if it weren't so embarrassing._

_Did Gabriella notice the stares they'd been getting all night? Did she see the suggestive elbow jabs in his sides or knowing eyebrow raises from passing civilians? He certainly hoped not._

"_It looks like Chad's having fun too." Gabriella giggled making his eyes tear away from his mortifying friends and family and to his bushy haired best friend who was dancing wildly on the dance floor and Troy chuckled nervously, looking at his three family members briefly._

"_Yeah…" He droned out, his mind too occupied by his anxiety to fully concentrate on the hysterics of his friends dancing. Glancing around the grassy hill, he looked over his shoulder at the empty green noticing it was quite a ways away from the gathering of people who came to take part in the fun….which also meant it was away from the many stares he was receiving from the people of Wilton. This knowledge gave him the burst of courage he needed to reach out for her. "You wanna go somewhere a little quieter?" He asked in her ear and her head whipped up to him, raising her eyebrows curiously before nodding vigorously. He smiled charmingly at her eager head nod and subconsciously grabbed her hand to lead her to the destination, smiling to himself once he felt her lace their fingers together._

_Her hand was cold in his but he grinned while the thought of his large palm warming her icy skin processed through his mind, and she seemed to feel the same way because her grasp only tightened._

"_Where are you taking me?" He heard Gabriella giggle as she followed behind him thanks to the gentle pull he had on her hand._

"_Not far." He reassured._

"_Mhmm right, 'cause this isn't sketchy at all." She said sarcastically and he rolled his eyes._

"_You have some serious trust issues Kans." He replied playfully._

"_Yeah well all I know is you're lucky you're cute or I'd be turning back to join Chad on the dance floor right about now." She said jokingly making him suddenly stop and slowly turn to her with a cheeky grin._

"_You think I'm cute?" He asked the same mischievous and cocky grin lighting up his visage. A blush immediately crept over her cheeks and her eyes widened adorably just realizing what she had said. Reflexively her hand dropped his as if it was infected and cupped her elbow insecurely._

"_Well I…I mean you're-I was just…shut up." She said walking past him to plop down on the grass and Troy chuckled while following her lead and spreading his legs out in front of him once he was comfortably situated on the ground._

"_That's okay…" He uttered quietly, looking towards the same wave of bravery, along with the positive insinuation of the intimate handhold to encourage him to complete his sentence "You're pretty cute yourself"_

_Her head once again whooshed in his direction only to smile shyly at him before looking back down at the grass, hoping to hide the blush on her cheeks by curtaining her face with her hair._

_He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked simply in a well fitted white hoodie and faded blue skinny jeans. Her tiny feet were donned with black ballet flats, and her straight hair brushed against her shoulders attractively._

_Was it too soon to ask her out? Would she think he was weird and creepy for making a move so soon? It seemed like she liked him didn't it? So why was he so nervous? Even though he was unable to come up with an answer for his apprehension, he definitely had the evidence because for the billionth time that night he had to wipe his palm against his jeans to clear away the perspiration._

_Stealing another brief glance from the corner of his eye, he bit down on his lip. 'How bad could it be?' he thought optimistically to himself until the voice that had been holding him back the second he realized his feelings for her echoed through his mind vacetiously. 'She could totally reject you and make you look like a complete idiot then avoid you for the rest of her life…" Okay, not so optimistic._

"_So are there dances like this here all the time?" She asked making conversation and causing Troy to look up from the patch of grass he had zoned out on._

"_Yup." He said with a nod and she copied his heads movements casually, subtly slumping due to the lack of response._

'_Just ask her, and if she says no, pretend nothing happened. That's what I do when I get 'F's' on my report card…' With logic such as that Troy found no excuse not to fulfill his goal of the night, the only problem now was finding the right phrasing. It had to be something charming, something that would make her swoon and undoubtedly accept his request for a date._

"_Cool…" She muttered awkwardly._

"_Yeah…" He said distractedly._

'_What about…"hey Gabriella-" Should I use her full name? Is that not personal enough? What if I say Gabi?….Or Gabs? Chad sometimes calls her Gabster…should I just stick to the nickname I always call her or is that too much of friend thing? Does she only see me as a friend?'_

"_We don't have much of these things in Kansas. In my middle school we used to have a couple of those really lame dances, you know what I mean?" She giggled however her smile quickly faded at his silence and she stole a glance to see him just staring ahead, dazed._

'"_Hey Gabs, what do you say to a night just me and you on the lake"- she'll think you're trying to rape her or something.' He thought, ceasing the line immediately. 'Friday night, you, me and a __Key West 225 Center Console sailboat"…"So since I'm single, and you're single….' With a sigh Troy tried one last time,_

'_Gabriella, I really, really like you, would you go out with me this Friday?' As if contemplating it Troy paused before realizing, with surprise, that it wasn't half bad. 'Not too shabby Bolton.'_

'_Oh shit is she talking?' He thought panicked, whipping his head to her to prove his assumptions correct. He thought another profanity, knowing he should probably be listening to what she was saying if he was thinking of taking her out…it's what his mother taught him anyway._

"_Uh, I think I should go and find Taylor. It was nice talking to you Troy." Gabriella said quietly, trying to conceal the disappointment as she stood, yet she missed Troy's eyes widening in alarm and his body tensing as she stood. No! She couldn't leave! He had finally gotten the right words and was mustering up the breath to tell her._

"_Kansas wait." Troy said quickly before she could turn and leave and she looked at him curiously as he hopped up from the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. "I…I mean I kind of wanted to hang out tonight you know?" _

"_You did?" She asked wringing her hands shyly and he nodded with a bashful smile._

"_Well yeah, I mean… I like you." He muttered before embarrassedly clearing his throat. "You're cool, I mean." He squeaked and Gabriella giggled quietly noticing his rosy blush. Finally Troy just sighed and sent her a smile, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Do you want to go out on a date with me this weekend?" He bluntly asked, however his tone masked his true emotions. His insides twisted nervously yet the blood in his veins did the opposite and chilled to ice. He had never been so nervous in his life. _

_Gabriella's eyes widened and her jaw fell slightly, the joy lighting up in her eyes though Troy's nerves made him blind to her happiness and he continued to stutter scared of rejection, redirecting his gaze to the ground once again. "I mean it's cool if you don't want to I just thought that-"_

"_Yes." She said hastily with a vigorous nod of her head and Troy quickly looked up from the grass and into her eyes watching as she blushed at how eager she sounded. "I mean sure." She muttered slowly yet the ecstatic smile on her face didn't do her nonchalant charade justice. She bit down on her lip and let out a giggle of happiness. "I would love to."_

"_Really?" He asked happily and she giggled again and nodded once more before biting down on her lip and letting impulse take over as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly making him chuckle and lock his arms around her torso, laughing into her hair gleefully. _

"_I thought you'd never ask." She whispered and his grin widened while his grip tightened._

_He had no idea that in ten short months would he ask her a far more life altering question in that very spot, on that very hill. _

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Fairbanks Hills**

**July 9****th**** 2009**

It wasn't the first time she'd been up there since arriving but it was the first time she really allowed the feelings she felt when she was young and in love to wash over her while the unstoppable memories hit her like a ton of bricks with just a simple landmark or piece of clothing. It was the first time she allowed herself to feel pleasant from reminiscence rather then guilty. That night when Troy asked her to be his was the happiest night of her young life and looking over her shoulder at the patch of green she smiled warmly to herself, remembering the sixteen year old girl she once was whose biggest worry was the boy she liked not returning her feelings.

Obviously, things have changed.

"You never told me there'd be mud!" The blonde hollered as she staggered up the hill and Josh rolled his eyes.

"It's outside, what'd you expect?" He asked.

"Shut up!" She ordered not in the mood to be ridiculed. "These were my new Italian stilettos, they cost me a fortune!" She whined and Gabriella forced a smile once she caught the blonde staring at her expectantly now no longer reminiscing about her first Wilton Valley dance.

"Maybe you shouldn't spend your entire pay check on shoes then!" He shot back and received a glare from the blonde.

"Ella keep your boyfriend under control!" Sharpay screeched making Gabriella re-enter reality.

"Josh be nice." Gabriella giggled and he rolled his eyes. Sharpay huffed and sulkily scanned the yard, yet her attitude dispersed as something she loved even more then being over dramatic caught her attention:

Men.

Sharpay let out a low whistle as a tall man presumably in his early thirties strolled by with a drink in hand. And soon after another man with a pretty face and strong build caught her eye. She was suddenly in heaven. "How did you ever have the will power to leave this place?" She asked and it was Gabriella's turn to roll her eyes. "We don't have men like that in New York." She said hungrily staring over by the bar and Gabriella curiously followed her gaze before frowning.

"That's Zeke Baylor." She said with slight distaste. "He took my sports bra out of my gym locker and pinned it to the bulletin board." Her voice was dry, not particularly holding any signs of a grudge yet it was obvious it was the clearest memory she had of him.

"I like him already." She purred making Gabriella's plucked eyebrows scrunch slightly in offence. "I'm going to go talk to him." Sharpay said before confidently spinning on her heels and in the direction of the ex high school athlete making Gabriella giggle quietly to herself.

"Why are you friends with her again?" He mumbled quietly afraid the empowering blonde would hear and the brunette swatted him lightly.

"Stop. She's my best friend." She chastised lightly, yet had a small smile on her face at her friend's behaviour.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry baby." He apologized wrapping his arms around his girlfriend from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder as they watched Sharpay expertly flirt with the man known as Zeke.

She couldn't help but idolized Sharpay's poise and self-assurance. She always did whatever the hell she wanted whenever she wanted, while Gabriella, usually opted for the solution that made the most people happy, and if none, the elucidation that society dubbed as correct.

"I wish I had that kind of confidence." She muttered admirably.

"What are you talking about Ella? You have tons of confidence." She found herself tensing slightly and looking over her shoulder to raise her eyebrow at him. Did he not know her at all? She would be the first to admit her self-esteem wasn't the highest and that it had jeopardized-if not ruined more then a couple of things in her life.

As she opened her mouth to correct him, a voice that did not belong to her filled her ears.

"Hey Gabs, glad to see you could make it." She heard and stepped out of Josh's grasp to see the dark skinned girl smiling brightly at her, and standing next to her was her husband, which was still a shock to the brunette, Chad.

"Oh, thanks Tay." She muttered thrown off guard as Taylor pulled her into a gentle, and slightly awkward hug. "Hi Chad." She said timidly not sure if he would talk to her. Was there some kind of bro before hoes code about those sort of things? There run in by the super market was more then awkward, and she remembered him dashing off in a hurry. Nonetheless Chad smiled tightly at her and pulled her in a one armed hug.

"Hey Gabriella."

"Uh, Josh you remember Taylor, and I don't think you've met Chad." She introduced, biting down on her nail as she watched Taylor wave and Chad reluctantly reach out for her boyfriends welcoming handshake.

"Hi." Chad said eyeing him carefully while strongly shaking his hand to make a point, which made both Gabriella and Taylor roll their eyes.

"Nice to meet you man."

"Yeah, _man_." He said slightly harshly and Taylor grabbed his arm pulling him back by his side.

"So are you enjoying being back in Wilton?" She asked to make conversation before her face reddened and she internally wince at the question. The girls made an awkward eye contact which Taylor used to apologize through her dark iris.

"Oh yeah we're having a great time right babe?" He asked wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to his side.

"Mhmm." She murmured. She stared at Chad's stone face, and although admired his loyalty to his friend, wished he'd be the same fun loving Chad she remembered. Taylor, always the sensible one, figured it was better they leave before her husband went buzzirk.

"You'll save a dance for us won't you?" Taylor asked her and Gabriella nodded frowning slightly at the fact she was partly the reason they were leaving.

"Uh…sure." She agreed scratching the top of her head.

"Great. Come on Chad." She muttered tugging on his arm and once she thought she was far enough away, gave him a big smack on the back of the head which didn't go unseen by Gabriella, and made her giggle quietly to herself.

Soon after Sharpay came back into view fanning herself cockily with what looked to be a napkin with ten digits written messily on it, peering over Sharpay's shoulder she could see Zeke smirking at a napkin of his own.

"That was fast." Gabriella commented.

"Yeah a new world record." Josh teasingly added his input obviously oblivious to Chad's rude behaviour.

"I think we need to celebrate with some drinks then." She hinted. When she noticed the gentlemen present hadn't moved she raised an eyebrow at Josh, and once he saw her stare he looked at her with incredulous eyes. He opened his mouth to protest but another, and much sharper eyebrow raise from Sharpay had it shutting.

Gabriella on the other hand, took to scanning the gathering of people bored, tired of the same song and dance between her boyfriend and best friend. As crazy as it seems, she knew they didn't _dislike _each other, yet they weren't the others favourite person either. Sharpay didn't like Josh standing up to her and Josh didn't like Sharpay's bossy attitude, but they managed to deal with it.

"Fine, but I'm spitting in yours." He told her before stalking off to the beverage table and her brown eyes widened as she spun to Gabriella.

"Did you hear what he just said to me!" She shrieked yet Gabriella kept her hands on either side of her crossed arms as she looked over the vicinity, scanning each and every face while rubbing her arms to keep warm. "Gabs?" She questioned before she too looked over the crowd. "What is it? Do you see him?"

"No, Sharpay." Gabriella giggled lightly.

"Well you're going to tell me when he's here right?" She asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"What's this obsession you have with Troy? I'm seriously starting to fear for his safety." She giggled watching as Sharpay rolled her own eyes.

"I'm not going to start stalking him or anything; I just want to meet him. For years all I've heard is Troy this and Troy that."

"Oh shut up it's not like I talk about him anymore." She said with a roll of her eyes at her dramatic friend.

"Not when Josh is around…" She mumbled and Gabriella looked at her momentarily stunned before shaking it off.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing." She said with a shake of her head.

"Shar…tell me. I don't still talk about Troy do I?"

Sharpay sighed before replying. "Well…not a lot, but occasionally. I just think you're replacing your heartache for Troy by filling the void with Josh." She told her as softly as she could yet it wasn't successful considering the statement itself was relatively blunt like most things the blonde stated.

"I care for Josh, Sharpay." She told her honestly and the blonde nodded.

"I know you do, and I know you will also put him second place." She said and Gabriella just looked at her with a mouth slightly agape before it slowly closed and she kept quiet. "Let me ask you this: ever since… the incident... with Troy…have you…_you know _with Josh?" She asked and Gabriella looked at her before staring down at the dirt and letting out a quiet, nervous laugh.

"What do you think? We're just going to go at it in my parents' house?" She forced a giggle and shrugged her shoulders.

She felt like pointing out the obvious and saying it hadn't stopped her with Troy when they were teenagers, but instead just said: "Okay, you're right." She agreed knowing the topic was making Gabriella feel uneasy. She obviously knew the lack of intimacy with Josh since entering Wilton wasn't caused by the environment of her childhood home. "So uh speaking of Josh…who's the hottie he's talking to?" She asked changing the subject, and using her boy crazy ways to get a laugh out of her, yet after letting out a small sigh Gabriella's tired eyes gradually glanced over to where her boyfriend was and instead of letting out a giggle like she expected, the brunette tensed and alarm instantly washed over her face.

"That would be Troy…"

* * *

"Nice night out isn't it?" The unfamiliar voice made him look up from the cooler where he had just pulled out two beers, the other for Chad, and look to the spiky haired man. His eyes briefly widened and he looked over his shoulder momentarily as if to make sure he was indeed talking to him before swallowing thickly and nodding his head.

"Yeah." He said curtly, turning back to close the lid to the blue icebox to keep the refreshments cold. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to Gabriella's boyfriend however as he felt his presence linger next to him he figured he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"We met at the Montezs' remember?" He said as if that was the reason Troy wouldn't engage him in a never ending conversation.

"Yup, I remember. You had the nice car." He said with an apprehensive chuckle before taking a step to his left to walk around him yet Josh chuckled, quickly adding to the conversation before Troy could escape.

"Yeah that's me. What did you say your name was again?" He asked and Troy momentarily paused as if debating giving his real name, finally he responded with "Troy" and Josh nodded sticking out his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you Troy. I'm Josh, Gabriella's boyfriend."

"Uh, nice to meet you." He copied, analyzing his tight handshake. It was friendly, not competitive as Troy would have imagined, then again he had to remember Josh didn't know the things he's done with his girlfriend.

"So you must be a pretty close friend of the Montezs' huh?" He questioned. "I mean living here in such a small town and working for them, you must be close." He had to pause to think of what he could mean by "working for them" before he remembered.

"…I guess you could say that." He muttered his reply as he shifted from his left foot to his right uncomfortably. "And I just help out Mr Montez with the lawn work once and a while, I don't work there." He finally clarified.

"Oh? So what do you do?" He asked curiously and Troy looked up from his black sneakers that were kicking at the dirt.

"I work on the lake. Rescue mainly but there isn't a lot of business in a town like this one, so I build boats for extra cash."

"Oh, so you're a tradesman." He said and Troy paused from taking a sip of his beer to chuckle even though it wasn't necessarily funny.

"Sure." He never considered himself a "tradesman" as Josh had labelled it, but if that's what the city boy wanted to call it then he'd go with it.

"I tried to build an extra chair for our kitchen table once and it was a complete disaster, Ella nearly laughed until she cried when she saw it." He said with another chuckle and Troy's desire to flee was postponed as he paused to raise an eyebrow at the nickname. _Ella?_ He felt the familiar sting of jealousy at the mention of his ex and oddly enough the talk of sharing furniture. Josh stared at Troy expectantly wondering why he had grown quiet and noticing his questioning stare Troy forced a smile.

"Yeah, Gabriella was never one to sugar coat things." He mumbled referring to her laughter and Josh smiled fondly.

"Definitely not." He agreed amused. "I still can't believe Ella lived here, I always took her as the city girl type." He chuckled. There was that stupid nickname again.

"Yeah, she always was." He said trying to keep the bitterness from his tone. He wasn't trying to be a total dick to him, but he couldn't help it. The thought of the things he's done with _his_ girl made his toes curl in jealousy and jaw clench. The sight of his perfectly fitted yellow polo and perfectly gelled hair with his perfectly whitened smile had his confidence dimming by the second and of course the little pet name didn't boost his liking for the New York banker.

"But she's great. A little strange, but great." He laughed and Troy let out a genuine chuckle of his own. "Like she has to put peanut butter on _everything_. I never understood that. Bagels, celery, crackers, once I caught her just eating it right out of the jar." He said and Troy laughed again.

"Oh yeah, you haven't seen nothing till you've seen her steal the packages of peanut butter from restaurants. She acts as if she's found twenty bucks rather then a plastic cup." He chuckled.

"I know it's so embarrassing." Josh groaned in amusement.

"I don't know, I always thought it was kind of cute." He said with a shrug before widening his eyes at the realization of what he just said. He quickly cleared his throat while Josh scrunched his eyebrows suspiciously. "So you work for some kind of bank right?" He asked hastily moving on and the words he previously spoke seemed to be forgotten as Josh smiled widely and nodded.

"Yeah New York's finest." He grinned and Troy just nodded.

"Well my friends waiting for me." He said hastily.

"Oh yeah me too." Josh said gesturing over his shoulder and in the moment as his iris lifted over to the direction he was signalling to, blue met the panicked brown. He tensed slightly, stupidly forgetting where Josh was obviously she would be, but he soon was nodding imperceptibly to reassure her, and surprisingly, it worked.

Her body relaxed and her eyes softened before they were torn from his and instead they landed on her boyfriend's back worriedly.

"Nice talking to you." Josh said kindly while patting his shoulder and Troy just nodded silently meeting the apologetic eyes of Gabriella one last time before walking to Chad.

* * *

She released the breath she was holding as she caught Troy's comforting gaze, silently informing her that their secret was safe with the stunning hue of his iris, before snapping herself out of their stare to force her eyes to land on the man she should be staring at.

However the low whistle that came from Sharpay made her glance up at the blonde.

"Hell-o hubby." Sharpay cooed flirtatiously just as she had when her eyes landed upon Zeke and Gabriella only rolled her eyes, ignoring the feeling of jealousy that tugged at her stomach as her friend's eyes scanned his build. However she kept quiet seeing Josh saunter back in their direction with drinks in hand.

"Here you go ladies.-"

"Why were you talking to him?" She immediately asked, cursing her abruptness but her need for an answer left her unfazed as he looked at her surprised.

"Who? Troy?" She tried to refrain from widening her eyes at the knowledge of a first name basis.

"Yes. Troy. Why were you talking to him? How do you know him?" She tried as hard as she possibly could to keep her breathing regular and her visage nonchalant but by the look of confusion on Josh's face and the sound of Sharpay's hand slapping her tan forehead woefully, she could tell she wasn't doing a very good job. "…Not that it matters." She added meekly.

"I met him at your parents' house when we first got here. He's a cool guy….should I not talk to him?" He asked slowly but Gabriella just blinked while Sharpay's jaw dropped.

"…Wh-what do you mean you met him at my parents' house?" She said sharing a confused and shocked look with Sharpay. "Why was he there?"

"Ella what's wrong? You're friends with him right? I don't see the big deal. I mean he said he's always helping your parents out with yard work and stuff. That's what he was doing when we got here."

"Yard work?" She repeated in disbelief and he nodded.

"But you guys are friends right?" He said duplicating his previously said words and Gabriella gulped.

Yeah…friends." Gabriella muttered; the figure of her mother laughing and joking with her father and a couple that lived down the road only a few feet away was suddenly very intriguing. "Excuse me." She said hastily stepping around her perplexed boyfriend and hastily crossing the yard to get to her mother.

She was too stunned to think rationally, because deep down, she knew it wasn't that big of a deal. She realized she was over-reacting, but like she said, stunned.

"Can I talk to you?" She muttered to her mom who cut her sentence short to listen to her daughter's definitive tone, leaving her no choice but to oblige.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" She asked as she followed her daughter from the small crowd she was talking to.

"_Troy_, mom?" She asked in a frenzied whisper, stopping her stride and spinning to her parent who looked surprised by the topic. "Why-how, what's he doing at the house?"

"Gabriella-"

"And how have you not told me that you still even talk to him?"

"It's a small town Gabriella; I couldn't just ignore him-"

"I know it's a small town! Which is why Josh and Troy are basically best friends!"

"Enough Gabriella!" The silencing worked as Teresa wanted it to and shut her daughter up. "What are you doing with Troy?" She asked and Gabriella scrunched her eyebrows. "Why do you care if he's at the house or if he talks to Josh? Gabriella…have you done anything with Troy?" She asked before going into specifics: "In the past week you've been here, have you done anything with him?"

The change in authority along with conversation left Gabriella shocked and speechless. She stared at her mother with her mouth agape and the sting of tears burned her eyes, a feeling that was becoming very familiar.

"…I…I-it was just once." She admitted quietly after struggling for a response and Teresa closed her eyes as if her words were physically painful. "It didn't mean anything."

They both knew that was a lie.

"Gabriella, I knew this would happen. Don't you think you've hurt that boy enough?"

"…Mom, Josh doesn't know, and I know I'm not girlfriend of the year or anything but-"

"Not Josh!" She hissed. "Troy." Teresa watched as her daughters beautiful olive skin paled and she wrapped her arms around her torso. "It was when he drove you home that one time wasn't it?" She asked. "I knew it, the look on both your faces-"

"It wasn't then." She interrupted timidly, the tears leaking from her eyes and down her cheeks. Teresa softened upon seeing her daughters tears.

"Then when was it?" She asked delicately, resting a hand on her arm.

"W-when dad took Josh fishing, Troy and I got lunch and then he showed me the boat….and-and I just got so caught up in being with him again…it happened so fast…it was only once." She repeated, defending herself submissively once more.

"Oh sweetheart…"

"How did you know that I- that we…"

"A mother knows these things." She muttered pressing her fingertips to her forehead. "Do you love him?" Something in her mother's eyes gave her an indication of which "him" she was referring to.

'_No_.' She thought to herself reflexively. It had been what she was telling everyone else. That one point in her life she _had _cared for him. Cared so deeply she wasn't sure if she could breathe without him but it always ended in her assuring that Josh held her heart now. But this wasn't just anybody, this was her mom and she said what she was truly and honestly feeling. "I…don't know. I think…I mean I might." She said and Teresa noted the distress in her voice. "I miss him I know that." She offered quietly. "But I can't be here; I don't belong here in Wilton. I just…mess everything up when I'm here." She croaked and Teresa frowned, about to verify that that wasn't true but her daughter continued before she could. "I mean, when we first moved here I made everyone hate me. Taylor hated me; Chad hated me, all because I was so _petty_ and so _selfish_." She said the words about herself harshly. "Then once I isolated Troy from all his friends, I leave him! With barely any explanation. And here I am, doing it all over again."

"Gabriella you need to remember you didn't make Troy's choices for him, Troy made the decision to leave his friends for you as did you for him. At one point this _was_ your home, and no matter where you go, you can't make everyone happy. But you also need to realize you can't keep running back and forth between the two. You need to choose who makes you happiest, and fully commit yourself or you won't have either of them."

She finally let the possibility of another choice other then Josh sink in and her eyes wandered over to Troy who, to her surprise was looking at her worriedly noticing her flea to her mom and body language that read distress. He frowned the sight of her tears and Gabriella couldn't help but send him a watery smile, which he then proceeded to look over his shoulder as if she would be staring at someone else making her laugh to herself and wipe away her tears with the back of her hand.

"You're right." She said with a sigh before repeating herself. "You're right."

* * *

Was that a smile? Was that really and truly a smile? Was he seeing things? Glancing over his shoulder he noted there was no one other then him who could possibly be on the receiving end of the friendly gesture, and seeing her laugh and roll her teary eyes made his own boyish grin quickly spread across his lips. Should he talk to her? Did she want him talking to her? Maybe he was reading too much into things, I mean it was only a smile, although it was a lot more then he'd been getting…apart from the sex of course.

He watched as she wiped her eyes and mumbled something to her mother, before noticing the fast paced music had abruptly switched to a much softer song. Couples brushed past him, taking their significant other with them, one being Taylor and Chad, and he stepped out of the way before re-focusing his eyes on Gabriella with the same smile on his face as before.

_Remember when I was young and so were you_

_and time stood still and love was all we knew_

_You were the first, so was I_

With the lyrics echoing through the outdoors he watched as her eyes found his again and looked recognizably shy just like she did when she was his and adolescent. He took a brave step forward, not entirely sure what he'd say when he was in talking distance but took yet another pace in her direction anyway. She seemed to be unsure about his approach, he noticed, and his legs almost came to halt, yet she took in a deep breath before looking to her mother, her lips moving slowly most likely excusing herself before linking her fingertips together insecurely and heading towards him, which had him unknowingly breathe out in relief and making his strides much more confident.

_Remember when we vowed the vows_

_and walked the walk_

_Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard_

_We lived and learned, life threw curves_

_There was joy, there was hurt_

_Remember when_

His eyes never left hers and he took the song as a sign. The lyrics were so shockingly pointing towards their history and their experiences and he hoped she had noticed it the way he did. He sent her a timid grin as the gap between them grew small and smaller and she quickly responded with her own smile, giving him the indication she too had taken the song to heart.

However, with scrunched eyebrows he tore his eyes away from her and towards the stage, as did Gabriella, once a screech of a microphone was emitted into the air and the music was dimmed. He felt a nervous tug in his gut as he saw who had walked up onto the stage and glanced to his ex to see if she would know what was going on, but to his dismay she stared, just as confused as he.

"Hello everyone." The voice sounded nervous and the owner waved timidly before they simply clasped their hands in front of them. "A lot of you may not recognize me….some of you might. Uh but my name is Joshua Hayden. I've been seeing a girl, who all of you _do _know, for a long time now and she's the most beautiful, most caring, most _complicated_ woman I've ever met." He said with a chuckle. "And I've never loved anyone as much as she."

Troy watched as Gabriella's face reddened and her eyes widened, presumably guessing what this was getting at, just as his own blue ones expanded with realization.

He felt his throat go dry and was suddenly very aware of how heavily his shirt weighed over his torso; how confining his sneakers were; how thick and ponderous the air that surrounded him felt as it soaked into his skin and fought to bring him to the ground.

Because he knew. He knew what was happening next.

"Oh no." He whispered mournfully.

"Gabriella, you mean everything to me. Will you marry me?"

_We came together, fell apar_

_tand broke each other's hearts_

_Remember when_

* * *

**Does he have bad timing or what? Anyway not my favourite chapter, I know a lot is crammed in this one, and believe it or not there's more to come. I know I'm such a sucky person for taking so long to update so I apologize, but I hope you liked it. And I hope you review even if I do suck majorly. **

**Sorry for any mistakes. Review! **

**Danixox.**


	13. The Question of Forever

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Fairbanks Hills**

**July 9th 2009**

"_Gabriella, you mean everything to me. Will you marry me?"_

Like any little girl, Gabriella always pictured that magical moment when the man of her dreams would bow to one knee and grace her with the presence of a beautiful diamond. She could imagine laughing giddily, crying, squealing and jumping, most likely hyperventilating and shrieking yes over and over again. She'd jump in his arms and squeeze him tightly watching with delight as he slid the glittery ring on her left hand with pride and everything would just seem…right.

The first time, obviously wasn't that ideal due to the obvious fact they weren't even legal without the consent of their parents. He didn't get down on one knee, for he'd already been sitting and although sweet, his words weren't always what she had imagined while day dreaming underneath her pink princess duvet at the age of seven. Nonetheless, even though it was unplanned, unexpected and, she'd admit, unsound, she still giggled, cried, jumped and lost a breath of air for a short moment. The proposal and unconditional love for the obvious suspect had led to various thoughts buzzing eagerly in her head. Would they make it? Would they be in love forever? The thoughts of lying in bed Sunday mornings and tickle fights throughout their home had entered her mind; the dream domestic life. Those thoughts had all guided her to one answer: yes.

As for this time…one thing and one thin only was running through her mind:

_Fuck._

Selfishly, she was slightly annoyed, as any person would be with the on-going conflict conjuring in one simple vacation. Of all times. Of all times he could have possibly done this he had to ask her the single most important question in a couple's relationship not only in front of her ex-husband, but in front of an entire town who had known her for breaking said husbands heart.

Gabriella frowned knowing she shouldn't be thinking such self-regarding responses to such a gesture as this, but she couldn't help it. Mentally, she was exhausted and unable to come up with an answer of what to do. As her mouth faltered into a grimace, Josh's did the opposite. He grinned wildly, gripping at the microphone nervously and slowly descending the stairs towards her.

_Fuck._

She was so confused. She wasn't trying to hurt anyone. She wasn't deliberately dangling a hope of her ever returning to Wilton in front of Troy and stripping it away from him time and time again and she certainly wasn't trying to string Josh along, evidently to such an extent where he'd ask her hand in marriage…she was just trying to find the right path for her.

"Ella? Baby? I know this is unexpected…." He started slowly, a grin still evident on his face. Over two hundred pairs of eyes judgingly turned to look at her.

One pair, a noticeably vibrant blue.

_Fuck._

"And I know we haven't been seeing each other that long." He added as he halted in front of her with a surprisingly confident gleam in his eye as he reached into his pocket. "But I know I can make you happy by loving you for the rest of your life. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?"

_Fuck._

She stood still, her mouth hung open stupidly and her eyes wide

The ring. She'd almost forgotten about the ring since she was too busy cussing. It was beautiful. Giant, but beautiful. She was sure the diamond was bigger then one of her knuckles and the band sparkled with the same shimmering crystal. Looking up from the diamond the same feeling of fatigue filled her entire system. Wasn't this what she had wanted? Didn't she want someone successful and good looking to love her? Didn't she want a life of glitz and glam and careers and money?

Why didn't she feel anything but grief then?

She looked into his hazel eyes with a frown, which he must not have noticed because he carried the same ray of self-assurance as he always did. He seemed so sure. About himself and about what he wanted; about her answer and about their future. He was so…certain. Unfortunately, she was not.

"Josh-"

"Speak up!" A voice hollered in the back and she flushed red. Pondering, she let her eyes float to her surroundings, ceasing once they landed on the bronze face of her old flame. His jaw was tense yet his eyes held the opposite impression. They expressed a kind of sadness contradicting his hard and angry features before she was stripped of their beauty all together when he looked down to the ground with a shake of his head.

"Gabriella." Josh hissed, covering the mic. "You're kind of ruining it." He muttered before unveiling the microphone from under his hand, her eyebrows scrunching at his words. "So, what do you say?" The broad grin reformed across his face for the show he was performing.

Her lips pursed and she looked at him closely. He was sweet, a good, honest, hard working man. But he was also a workaholic, materialistic and much like herself, depended immensely on what others thought of him. And even though he had given her the life she always imagined for herself for the past year and a half she didn't remember feeling butterflies; feeling that magical whimsy. And as he presented that ring to her, bowed to his knee and handsomely smiled up at her, serving her everything she dreamed of on a silver plate, she asked herself the same questions she did years ago.

Would they make it? Would they be in love forever? It lead her to one answer.

"No."

* * *

What?

Did she say what he thought she said? Unexpectedly, his face remained stone except for his jaw which was unhinged from the beginning. What did he do now? Did he talk to her? Did that mean she had finally chosen him? Chosen Wilton Valley?

Like a teenage girl enthralled with the latest tear jerker he kept his eyes trained on the view in front of him, his ears strained and his body rigid.

Mimicking his thoughts Josh replied with a "what" of his own. His dark eyebrows creased and his once steady hand that held the ring bigger then his fist lowered to his side. However to be blunt the feelings of Josh weren't at the top of Troy's list of priorities as the one syllable word a toddler favours was uttered from the spiralled haired brunette.

"Josh can we please just…talk about this in private?" She muttered quietly, almost too low for Troy to hear, but with only the sounds of crickets sounding on top of the grassy hill, her honey sweet voice still pierced his ear drum.

That was until another voice had filled the air.

"Holy shit you never know what's going to go down in this town do you?" The persons sound was unfamiliar and slightly vague since his ears were still ringing. Confounded, he swivelled his head to look at the person who was addressing him, his mouth still slightly agape from shock as his innards were still trying to process the turn of events. "You'll catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that any longer." She teased.

"Do I know you?" He asked a little harsher then intended. He was already confused enough, a chatty sparkly blonde wasn't helping the situation.

"Hm, friendly." Sharpay commented sarcastically. "I'm Sharpay Evans, up-and-coming Hollywood starlet and current manager at _Armani Exchange _along with Gabriella's best friend." She said sticking out her hand which he reluctantly shook, wary of the forward blonde.

"Uhh Troy Bolton."

"Oh I know who you are." She said confidently causing him to raise a cautious brow. "Tradesmen, namely crafts involving boats and water, notorious small town kid and the miracle worker who somehow convinced uptight Gabriella Montez to get married at seventeen." The mention of his previous matrimonial ties to Gabriella caught his attention immediately and his eyes widened making her laugh even though there was nothing remotely funny. "You think I didn't know?" She asked. "Oh I've wanted to meet you for a while. _You're_ the ex-husband. The one Gabriella blabs on and on and on about." She groaned though knew she loved and usually encouraged the juicy topic. "The one whose name is a definition for everything she's ever felt and accomplished. _Troy._" She mocked, not to be facetious or bitchy but to put her acting skills to use and get his true emotions out of him. "The reason her first few months in New York were spent in her room crying and regretting. You're Troy and she was your Kansas." She sighed dramatically. "It's nice to meet you Troy."

He was unresponsive for a moment, not sure how to respond to such forwardness before reminding softly: "look, she was the one who left me alright?"

"Oh I know. Just like I knew she'd say no to male Posh Spice over there." She said jerking her head in the direction of Josh and Troy had to hide his amused and agreeing smirk… that was until her words finally registered.

"Wait you knew?" He asked watching her turn to the bar she had been leaning against ordering a drink.

"Uh huh. And I bet you anything your old parents-in-law knew as well. Josh couldn't have proposed without bragging a little first now could he? Besides leave it to him to get brownie points from the 'rents."

He looked over at the couple gazing worriedly at their daughter before he watched Teresa frown apologetically in his direction. They knew? And they didn't even tell him?

"Troy, look, I don't get this whole situation between you and my best friend but I know that she's a totally different person when she's here and she's trying to fight that. As dysfunctional as she is-and come on, she is if she's complaining about two guys being in love with her-I know she's a good person on a bumpy road and I'm trying to help in the best way I know how."

Troy was quiet. If Gabriella had to run off to the big city he was happy she surrounded herself with company like the girl in front of him. At least now he knew she was safe. His eyes drifted to Gabriella who was cowering in front of Josh who waved his arms hysterically. Troy's brows furrowed.

"Well, I'm going to try and salvage what I can of these shoes before the mud hardens." She said taking her drink from the counter. "See you around husband." She smirked and Troy smiled a small grin but before she could get too far away she spun around continuing her journey backwards. "Oh and tell that Zeke fella I might be here for a few more days…and usually after the third gin martini I get a little feisty!" With that she turned her back to him and skipped off.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Her life, the one she had built from scratch, the one she fantasized-the one expected of her…it was all crumbling. She no longer would be the woman the man in front of her loved, she wouldn't walk through the streets of New York with the comfort of a serious, stable relationship, and she wouldn't have the financial security that wasn't needed, but dreamed of.

And oddly enough she felt relieved.

As well as stressed, tired and guilt for the wrong she'd done to Josh but overall comforted by this new freedom unlike the grievance and insecurity she always imagined. She felt another fresh start coming. She'd seen the life she set out to achieve once leaving Wilton, and although it made her feel safe it also felt like she was tip toeing on cracking ice…

"But I asked your parents and I bought you this ring…"

"I'm so sorry…" She said honestly, her head bowed.

"You're sorry? That's it? I don't understand Gabriella, what is it? Why? I mean…don't you love me?" He asked, shaking his head confused.

"I care about you Josh I really do-"

"Do you love me?" He repeated strongly and her eyes, wide and watery took in every inch of his handsome face before sighing delicately.

"…No." She whimpered and he backed away as if she had shot him in the chest and Gabriella was quick to reassure: "I did. I really did. And it's not that you don't make me happy you do…" His silence pained her more then anything as he looked at her hurt, and a sob fought to break free from the back of her throat. "You don't want to be with me." She said with teary eyes. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her torso to keep herself together, the guilt stabbing at her a million times over.

"What? Baby I love you-"

"Josh, please you don't understand.-"

"No I don't Gabriella but whatever it is I know you can get over it and we'll go back to Manhattan…and you'll love me again." The last words surprised her and she looked at him with sad eyes, urging him quickly to continue. "We can get married in central park, I know you like it there-"

"Josh-"

"And we'll get that truffle cake we tried at my sister's wedding-"

"Joshua-"

"Or we don't have to have the wedding at the park, we can go wherever you wan-" Before he could even finish his sentence Gabriella did something she had been preventing…she snapped.

"I slept with someone else!" As the words spewed like vomit from her lips she quickly threw her hands covering her mouth as if piling the sentence back in.

"…W-what?" His hazel eyes were wide with shock and suffering and Gabriella's tears that she had been willing to stay behind her eyelashes slowly leaked down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, "I am and I don't deserve to be with you. You should be with someone who will love you and be faithful to you and someday be really happy when you decide to propose-"

Suddenly he was no longer sad and vulnerable. He wasn't the man who desperately wanted his love to accept his proposal…he was angry.

"Yeah you're right I do!" He yelled and Gabriella cringed though expected it. "What the hell Gabriella! With who! When!"

"Why does it matter-?"

"It matters Gabriella! I want to know!"

"Josh you're yelling-" She told him softly looking around at the people that grew interested once again because of his shouts.

"Damn straight I'm yelling! Tell me! Who was he!"

"Troy." She admitted quietly the loudness of his tone finally making her crack. He seemed confused for a moment, the name familiar and the face vague in his mind.

Before it clicked.

"The gardener!" His eyes widening and she reflexively rolled her eyes.

"He's not a gardener." She defended in a grumble.

"You're telling me you cheated on me with the guy who I was talking to no longer then ten minutes ago!" He asked hysterically. The mention of Troy pushed her, too, over the edge and reminded her of her reluctance to re-enter the small town.

"I told you I didn't want to come here! I told you!"

"What so now it's my fault!" He asked his arms flailing.

"No! That's not what I m saying…I just…it's… I mean…it's complicated!"

"Enough for you to hop in some random guys bed evidently!"

"He's not some random guy! You don't know anything about my life here okay!"

"Because you won't tell me! I've tried Gabriella; do you even realize how hard I've tried to get you to let me in? Especially when it came to your home town?"

"Right." She scoffed. "You're always too busy on your damn phone-"

"You cheated on me! How is that a comparison to my work load!"

"It's not!" She yelled before huffing. A short silence washed over the two and he looked at her with a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Why…him? Why?" He asked with a genuine curiosity. "What is it about this place that you don't want me to know? What is this big thing you have against this place? Huh Gabriella!"

"We were married!" She didn't bother hushing herself for a second time; the truth finally spilling out was all too addicting of a feeling. Her shoulders weren't cramped with the weight of lies and the kinks and clogs in her chest were starting to clear; easing the pain in her heart. Josh's expression told the tale of complete and utter disbelief. With his mouth open and his eyes wide he stared unable to respond to such a confession. "We were young and I was so, so stupidly in love and I thought I had it all in this town but then I realized there was a whole world waiting for me to come and explore it, a whole other side of me to be let out, and I left…and I met you." Josh glanced sideways at her.

"Married?" He laughed painfully-disbelievingly.

"We were young." She tried again.

"I just…I can't deal with this right now. When we get back to New York maybe you can crash with Sharpay or something…" Gabriella only nodded her head with her arms still crossed over her stomach before watching Josh sigh and step around her.

She didn't notice the two blue eyes that watched her carefully as Josh left her standing alone, and once he was gone Troy took a brave step forward, stopping her gently before she could walk away by gripping her waist lightly.

"Hey, wait. What's going on I mean-"

"Not now okay Troy?"

"You said no…"

"I know I did." She said with a bit of an edge desperately trying to step around him yet he only stopped her once more and looked at her unpleased by the tone.

"Well what does this mean?" He asked frustrated.

"It means I'm not marrying Josh." She replied finally able to escape from behind the wall his body was providing. He was quick to follow after her.

"So what now? You're just going to leave again? Run away to New York yet again?"

She spun around to face him at his words which had him stopping in his tracks. "Do you really think this is a good time to be talking about this? I just told my boyfriend who I cheated on-with _you _might I add-that I don't love him anymore, and you think I'm going to just run into your arms?"

"How the hell do you think I feel! You come here out of no where with this…this _guy_! How was I supposed to react!"

"What was I supposed to do! Call you and give you a warning? We haven't exactly been in touch!"

"And whose fault is that! You're the one that left!"

"I wanted you to come with me Troy!" She reminded the pace of her tears escalating and he shook his head.

"You know I couldn't Gabriella and you knew I wouldn't go with you."

"Just stop alright I already had one person yell at me I don't need another."

"I don't care Gabriella. We're talking about this."

"No we're not."

"Yes we are!"

"Why do we have to talk about it?"

"Because you left Gabriella! You just left- you don't even call letting me know you're okay! I have to run to your parents to make sure you're still alive, and then when I finally see you again you have this boyfriend with you who acts as if we're suddenly best friends; saying all this shit about your annoyingly cute little habits as if _I _wouldn't know."

"Stop it." She warned.

"And now here you are with no boyfriend!"

"Stop it Troy!"

"I'm so sick of this shit Gabriella! You're so goddamn selfish, always thinking about yourself!-"

"Well fine Troy then I'll leave! Is that what you want! I'll go back to New York and I'll leave you alone and I won't ever see you again!"

"Fine!" He yelled before he fully comprehended what he was saying. Stunned by his response she gasped quietly, their argument ceasing. He was quiet; no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to force more words out of his mouth so he simply just swallowed thickly, his throat noticeably dry…

"Fine. I'll be gone tomorrow then." She said. His silence was enough for her to leave and so with one last glance she spun on her heel and fled.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 9th 2009**

"Josh!" She found herself calling out as she closed the door to her childhood home behind her. "Josh are you here?" When she got no response she scurried up the stairs wiping the tears forcefully from her eyes. Honestly she was relieved. Her voice was strained from screaming over not one but two relationships she screwed up and she really wasn't in the right state of mind to get into another if she happened to run into her now ex. However as she pulled the drawers open to gather her clothing she noticed some of them were noticeably empty…

She no longer worried about running into Josh.

It took all her will power to not break down in sobs as she lugged her heavy suitcase from the closet throwing it to her bed, watching as the mattress bounced up and down. Sniffling she ripped the clothes that were spread around the room and threw them into the black luggage all while wiping the back of her hand across her cheek bones.

He wanted her gone. He basically told her that he never wanted to see her again. It hurt, more then she expected, especially after so many years apart. Finally she stopped her mad tirade of packing her things and collapsed on the fluffy white covers that were draped over her bed. Hiding her face in her hands she finally let go and cried, gasping for air though her lungs came up short.

This situation seemed all too painfully familiar, and she squeezed her eyes shut in attempts to block away the scarring memory. Unfortunately her efforts were futile…

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**West Benson Boulevard**

**Apartment 306**

**Residency of Troy and Gabriella Bolton**

**February 17****th**** 2005**

_Her head was spinning. Her throat burned. Her eyes welled. It wasn't anything new, really, it wasn't. She was emotionally and physically tired of living in a relationship that had become bipolar. She'd be fumed, furious at the love of her life but then they'd stop…they'd look at each other and he'd let out a reasoning sigh. He'd tell her he loved her and he promised things would be easier…_

_But they never were._

_That Wednesday was one of those nights._

"_You promised me Troy!" She yelled as she paced through the living room angrily_

"_What are you getting so worked up over! I told you I was going out with Chad!"_

"_You also told me you'd still make it for the meeting at the bank! We can't afford to do all these things Troy! We can't go out to bars with our friends, we can't buy unnecessary things we don't have the money!"_

"_Well I'm sorry! I'm trying! I work my ass off at the lake and I've taken double shifts at grandpa's shop I don't know what else you want me to do!"_

"_I want you to help me Troy! I want you to come with me to meet with our bank adviser and I want you to come grocery shopping with me and I would really like it if you could at least pretend like you give a damn!"_

"_Dammit Gabriella! I'm a kid! I shouldn't have to do this; have this responsibility!"_

"_You're not a kid anymore! You're an adult with a rent and obligations and in case you've forgotten, a wife!"_

"_Yeah well maybe I don't want those things anymore!" The look on her face was enough to snap his heart right in half and instantly regret the words that had blurted from his lips unexpectedly. "Kansas…" He said taking a step forward yet she shook her head and backed away. "Baby I didn't mean it."_

"_Don't even bother Troy." She croaked as her stinging eyes finally released the tears they held captive. "Just don't."_

"_I-"_

"_I hate this place; this stupid town." She said heatedly and he looked at her confused for a moment, opening his mouth to reply but was only cut off again. "I got accepted into an art school." She admitted quietly and Troy looked up from the carpeted floor towards her with surprise, a grin now tugging at the corner of his lips. "They offered me a scholarship and a dorm…mom and dad said they'd pay for my supplies."_

"_What? Baby that's great! Where? In Port Lions?" He asked naively, but seeing the look on her face he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that it was simply wishful thinking._

"_No…Troy." _

_His smile faltered._

"_Wh-where is it then?"_

"_Troy…" She whimpered taking in a deep breath hoping to pacify her tears._

"_Tell me Gabriella. Where is it?" He insisted worriedly._

"_New York." She answered in a whisper watching as his tense shoulders sunk with the new information. "A couple months ago when the school held that college fair…Taylor drug me to it and I applied." He sucked in a sharp breath and Gabriella was quick to continue. "I just wanted to see if I could do it, if I could get in I was never going to actually go…"_

"_And now?" He questioned shakily._

"_Now…now I have to go. I have to do this for me. I need a break from this town and all these expectations and-_

"_And me." He filled in and Gabriella's watery eyes shot up to him no longer bothering to clear away the tears rolling down her cheeks._

_._

"_Troy!" She gasped shocked by his assumption. "No, of course not-"_

"_Then tell me you're not going to run off to New York! Tell me that you aren't going to go to this school and suddenly figure out that I don't fit in your life anymore!"_

"_Troy I love you." She reassured desperately but he didn't seem to want to hear it. _

"_Bullshit!"_

"_Come with me then!"_

"_What?" He questioned as if she had just suggested he run naked through the town. "Come with you? To New York?"_

"_Why not?"_

"_Why not? Why not! Gabriella you were just complaining that we can't even go out in __**Wilton**__ without risking rent! How the hell are we going to be able to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world!"_

"_I don't know what you want from me!"_

"_I want you to stay here! In Wilton, where you belong, where you'll always belong. What the hell am I going to do in New York Gabriella?"_

"_I'm going Troy and you need to accept that." She told him softly before taking one large step so she was in front of him, her hands coupled against his chest and he swiftly turned his head to the side to avoid eye contact, as well as to hide his own iris that started to blur with tears. "It's only a year." She informed as if trying to be positive though her optimism was rewarded with a cold laugh._

"_You honestly think you'd come back in a year?" He asked and she only looked at him with knowing eyes, expecting where he was taking this. "You're not coming back. I'm not an idiot. You say a year but I know it's just going to turn into forever. Who are we kidding? I'm never going to see you again and I'm not going to let myself get disappointed when you realize you're not coming back." Gabriella let out an involuntary huff as a sob got stuck in her throat and her hands slowly slid from their affectionate position in the center of his chest and back to her sides. "Gabriella if you leave, if you go to New York…I…we…" The words were harder to force out then he expected but with a deep breath and a close of his eyes he finally managed to get them out. "Then…then that's it, we're over."_

_Over. It seemed all too final for Gabriella's liking. She felt a stab at her heart as he said the words and for a flash of a second she felt as if she could run to him and tell him she would never leave. That they would make it and she didn't need art school….but only for a flash of a second._

_Biting down on her lip to refrain from letting out the pained cry, she looked down at her hands, her right silently wrapping around the left and shakily removing the ring from her finger. Troy felt the shattered pieces of his heart crumble down to his stomach as he glanced down in between their bodies once he felt her open his clenched hand and watched destroyed as she placed the ring in his palm._

"_I'm sorry you feel that way."_

_And she left._

_And she cried._

_And he cried._

_And he was right. She didn't come back. _

_Because five years sure as hell feels like forever._

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**1311 Lincoln Drive, **

**Residence of Mr and Mrs Montez. **

**July 9th 2009**

The sound of the door closing caused her to hastily clear her eyes and shake away the memory. She jumped up from the bed and busied herself by returning to the action previously at hand. Her stomach was taut with nervousness praying it wouldn't be an unwanted visitor as she trained her shaky hands to fold the clothes and pile them into the carrier.

"You're packing?" The voice made her look up from her half full suitcase and she smiled a watery at the person in the doorway, relief swimming through her and without thinking she ran to the blonde and threw her arms around her neck squeezing her petite frame in tight embrace.

No scorned boyfriend, ex husband or sympathizing parent…just her best friend. Exactly what she needed.

"Oh Ella." She soothed letting her cry in her shoulder. "It's okay, boyfriends are over-rated anyway." She muttered making Gabriella let out a watery laugh which was muffled by Sharpay's shirt.

"I can't believe I screwed up this bad." She muttered peeling herself away from the blonde and wiping away her decelerating tears while sitting back on the comfy bed.

"You know I talked to him…" Gabriella immediately knowing who she was talking about

"Of course you did." She replied smiling what was supposed to be an amused grin in hopes to lighten the situation but failed, too dampened by the emotional rollercoaster that was the day.

"He seems like a nice guy."

"He is."

"He's cute." She said which caused Gabriella to laugh quietly at the typical Sharpay response.

"He is." She repeated in agreement with a cheerless giggle. The sad look in her eye made Sharpay frown and spread out her arm for a welcoming. Gabriella smiled at her friend, laying her head on her shoulder releasing a heavy sigh and indulging the silence that had became music to her ears after the day of tears, screams and what if's.

* * *

**I hope you guys like it! I'd love to hear what you all think**. **It's funny when I first thought out this chapter it was totally and completely different. For starters Gabriella wasn't going to say no to Josh, it was simply going to be an "I need to think about it" kind of answer and I didn't have a conversation between Troy and Sharpay as well as Gabriella and Sharpay's BFF moment at the end till the very last minute. But as I wrote it I figured it just meshed better with Gabriella rejecting Josh's proposal and who doesn't love some Gabpay friendship now and then right? Plus I know you were all eager to see Troy and Sharpay meet.**

**I had many other great idea's but unfortunately not all of them could really fit well in the chapter. **

**I can't believe the enormous amounts of reviews I got for last chapter and I hope all of you will press the pretty green button at the bottom and review for this one as well. I think there is only going to be one or ****maybe**** two chapters left of this story :(**** I will miss writing it very much.**

**Sorry for any mistakes!**

**Review, review, review!**

**Love Dani.**


	14. Epilogue

**Port Lions, Alaska**

**Port Lions Airport**

**July 10th 2009**

Like a statue she sat still in the hard and uncomfortable chair, her legs crossed lady-like and with poise and her hands folded elegantly on her knee, yet her face didn't display such grace and confidence as her lips weighed heavily into an ever-lasting frown and her eyes were glazed over with a blank stare, though looking close enough the sadness was evident.

People bustled around her. Some in fancy business suits chatting eagerly on their cell phones before they were forced to turn them off once their flights arrived, some were families coupled together chatting excitedly about their relaxing vacation they were about to embark on and some departing lovers reluctantly saying goodbye.

But she tried not to pay attention to that last group.

She had gone over the check list again and again; so many times she could go through it in her sleep. Her bags were checked in and the appropriate weight for flight, her ticket was tightly grasped in her sweaty palm along with a source of ID and she had triple checked her old bedroom for any trace of possessions she had brought with her and was positive nothing would be left behind…

The thought echoed maliciously in the back of her mind. _Nothing would be left behind_.

'_I'm ready' _She instantly thought intercepting any other thoughts that were about to resurface. _'I'm all set to leave, nothing else to do but wait.' _She had been convincing herself since the entire hour drive to the airport up to the tedious minutes counting down till she'd jet back home that she was indeed prepared to leave the small town. Upon driving out of Wilton she had sat silently in the back of her fathers Range Rover next to an equally quiet Sharpay who had oddly enough, been texting up a storm on her blackberry, and as her frozen eyes finally shifted over to the blonde who was giggling with Zeke Baylor by the small built in coffee shop she now knew why.

He had driven down behind them to say goodbye. Because of the turn of events Sharpay had left the party shortly after she did to console her, unable to spend anymore attention on the dark skinned man she so forwardly approached, though the quiet mumbles she heard last night coming from across the hall turned out to be him calling wondering where she had disappeared to; they talked for two hours.

She found herself once again going over the list she knew by heart. Her bags were checked in, her ticket was in hand, her things were all packed, she was ready to head home. Head to the bustling city of lights, hectic job and most likely empty apartment. She frowned, though upset over the man that she shouldn't have been. It wasn't the one who had left the same night she had rejected his proposal, the one she'd most likely see no trace of once arriving home and the one who would probably hate her forever. The one who was causing her blank stare and upside down smile was one that should have been a shock rather then not and was the one who she had seen way too much of the past week.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso remembering their conversation last night. She couldn't blame him for wanting her gone. She'd pulled him back and forth and stripped hope away time and time again…she'd want her gone too if she was him.

"_Flight 119 to New York from Port Lions is now boarding. If all first class travellers could please board." _The red head standing behind the podium had a nasally voice and popped out hip. Her expression looked less then enthused to be calling to the passengers as she lowered the mic that echoed through the gate she was sitting at. Looking up Gabriella peered at the digital numbers above the door that lead to the ramp that would eventually take her to the aircraft that would then, sweep her to New York. The bright orange letters read '119' matching the three digit number on her ticket however glancing down coldly at the pale white ticket in her hand she saw the seat letter "18 F" while first class usually consisted of seats "1" to "6." Bottom line, she still had a while to board.

And oddly a feeling of relief surged through her, a feeling, she refused to acknowledge.

No, instead she pretended it never happened. Her face scrunched in displeasure and she let out an artificially impatient sigh, because she wanted to leave, needed to leave. She needed to be home in New York so she wouldn't ever see Troy Bolton again.

_Another forced emotion: hatred. _A voice taunted her cruelly in the back of her head. Why shouldn't she hate him? He was so immature and to be so blunt about his feelings and then suddenly dismiss her like it was nothing. She said no to Joshua didn't she? Isn't that what he wanted? And now what? Now she was sitting in an airport all by herself and where was he?

She forced her head to shake in detestation and disgust.

She faltered. It was so much easier to blame him for the hurt she pretended she didn't feel. Obviously it wasn't his fault. Even till the very end, the second that she had taken herself from Joshes life Troy had presented himself and their life together in front of her and she still refused. Why had she refused?

Maybe because that's what they did. They fought and they said things, things they couldn't fully comprehend due to misunderstood feelings, and it wouldn't be until hours later when they would look back and just then think of all the things they could have said but didn't.

Well if that was the situation shouldn't he be here? Shouldn't he have raced to the airport like the men do in those cheesy movies and stop her from leaving?

Why had he been saying he loved her all this time when he was just going to shoo her away when the time came for her to leave? Her eyes stung with the familiar feeling of tears and though her hard as stone visage never lifted from the linoleum floor she still took the many passing citizens into account and didn't let them shed as the question rang through her head, only leading to another, much more heartbreaking query.

Didn't he love her anymore?

Her heart clenched when she realized the answer, very possibly, could be no. What if he really had enough of her bullshit? What if he was sick of waiting for her to realize what was right in front of her? What if it was he who had the realization, grasping the fact that there were women uncomplicated and willing to love him back right in the very town he grew up in? What if, he in fact, didn't love her anymore?

"_Seats "7" to "12" can now board." _She heard vaguely in the background.

Or what if his agreement to her-for lack of a better word- threat to leave was simply him blowing hot air like he so frequently did in a heated situation?

She sighed.

When did he become so hard to read?

Her eyes closed and an instant image of their day together flashed through her head. The awful burritos and the way she had truly laughed, something she hadn't done in so long. She could remember tilting her head back and feeling her stomach ache as she giggled sincerely. And then of course their-at the time-forbidden quest to his bedroom. She was so stupid to let that happen; to allow his tongue to glide across her neck, breasts, stomach and pretty much everywhere else. She should have never let him fill her to the point where she didn't know where she ended and he began, but the desire and remarkable feeling it created was too irresistible. It caused her head to spin just like it did their first time. He made love to her so passionately it felt like he had taken her virginity all over again.

'_God now you're sounding like an old Madonna song!'_ Her thoughts hissed at her. She sighed and flopped against the back of the chair cracking the mould around her that was keeping her posture flawless yet stiff.

And suddenly, it dawned on her. She didn't want to play this game; that "I don't care if you don't" nonsense because she did care. She'd always cared, she loved him when she was supposed to love someone else so why would she leave when it would only result in her wondering if he meant what he said-or didn't say- when she told him that she would never see him again and gaining about ten pounds from the amount of ice cream she would probably eat over stressing about such speculations.

After days of him professing his love at the wrong times he wasn't here when he was supposed to be.

She rolled her eyes. Typical Troy.

"_Seats "12" to "18" can now board." _The red heads voice echoed with the same nasally tone and for the first time Gabriella jolted with urgency breaking her graceful façade. All ready? Looking down at her ticket hastily her heart beat sped up seeing her ticket read number 18 just like she knew it did, but her eyes then snapped up to scan the airport taking in the many faces of the travellers.

The idiot seriously didn't come for her?

She sighed and with a fluttering heart she realized she'd have to take things into her own hands.

Standing abruptly she missed Sharpay eyeing her curiously as she threw her bag over her shoulder, gathering her things and hurrying past where the blonde was standing with Zeke.

"Gabriella!" Sharpay called making the brunette stop and look at her expectantly as if nothing was out of normal. "What are you doing? The gates that way." She said pointing in the opposite direction. Instead of letting out a reasonable response Gabriella simply flapped her arms once and frantically rambled.

"I'm so stupid! Why am I so stupid? And why is he stupider for not realizing that I was stupid!"

"What?" Sharpay asked wide-eyed and huffing impatiently Gabriella translated her previous reply.

"I have to talk to Troy."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She tried to calm her friend who seemed eager to leave. "Gabriella the planes leaving! Like, right now! Can't you just call him when we land?"

"No! I need to know what he means. I need to tell him how stupid I am."

"Right now?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes. Right now." She said stubbornly and Sharpay looked at her for a moment before smiling softly taking the brunette by surprise.

"Well fine. But I'm not going to stand by and let you be all theatrical without being a little dramatic myself." She said playfully. "If you're not going, then I'm not going." Zeke's dark eyes lit up and Gabriella smiled at the two as they shared a look before Sharpay's perfectly plucked eyebrow raised at her and she waved her hands to shoo her from the crowded airport. "Well what are you waiting for? Go!"

"Right." Gabriella said with a giggle before spinning on her heel and muttering about what an idiot she had been.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**July 10****th**** 2009**

The smoke travelled swiftly through his body as he inhaled deeply, feeling the tension in his muscles dimmer ever so slightly, but with immense disappointment he found it didn't make him feel better like the nicotine usually did. Blowing the smoulder from his lips with a sigh he flopped against the wall of the boat he was sitting in and looked at the cigarette with discontent but slipped the white stick back between his lips anyway.

"Shit." He muttered to himself, the word muffled but nonetheless understood as he looked down to see the papers in his lap dirtied from the dust off the dock being blown in his direction. His hand gently swiped over her face careful of the lead before he brought the tip of his pencil back to the line to finish her perfectly sculpted jaw.

He told his grandfather he'd help with the shipping reports, though after a while of sitting in the rocking boat and thinking of her only leaving again he had wound up setting the papers aside and starting a new project. He leaned his head back comfortably as his eyes swept over the sketch of her smiling face; her now long and curly hair spiralled perfectly over her shoulders. He liked it long, she'd always had it short when they were kids but every now and then she'd let it curl and Troy always told her how sexy it looked, though she always blushed and shook her head at his words.

Why didn't he say anything? Troy found himself wondering abruptly. Why didn't he tell her that he didn't want her to leave as she yelled the words to his face? Isn't that what he's been prolonging? Praying that she wouldn't leave just as quickly as she had returned?

But what was he supposed to do? Race to the airport and stop her from getting on the plane like those idiots do in the movies?

'_She'd probably kill me.' _He chuckled naively to himself.

He inhaled.

She made it clear that he wasn't the right person for her…although she said she loved him when she ventured to his house a few days after they slept together…

'_Fuck she's complicated.' _He thought to himself yet surprisingly he chuckled whilst thinking it.

His amusement instantly ceased as he looked down at his drawing and sadness filled within him along with the addicting substance.

'_What's so great about New York anyway? Doesn't like eighty percent of the population die from gun shootings?'_

Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating…

"You're an idiot." He heard and the familiarity of her voice made his head snap up and swivel over his shoulder to see her standing on the dock with her carry on dropped haphazardly by her feet. His mouth was agape and the cigarette hung from his lips stupidly making Gabriella smile softly at the look on his face.

"Wha…I." He stopped and instead he stuffed the sketch under the rest of the papers and books before discretely putting out his cigarette in the ash tray next to him as if she hadn't seen. "What are you doing here?" He asked slowly as he stood to face her.

Gabriella wrapped her arms tightly around herself at his question. It wasn't angry or filled with disgust in anyway just…shocked. Nonetheless it unnerved Gabriella and made her wonder how he had done this time and time again.

"Just to tell you how stupid you are." She finally got out before looking down to the ground. He simply raised an eyebrow. "I was waiting. You clearly had a cue to be _that_ guy and race to the airport to come and get me…and you never came. And I want to know why." He was silent, and her confidence dimmed as her heart grew weak. "Why didn't you tell me to stay last night?" She almost cringed as she heard the crack in her voice but as she looked up to meet his eyes she realized her brown iris was glossed over in tears. Troy frowned as his eyes dashed over her face before once again landing on her watery gaze with a heavy heart.

"I didn't think you wanted me to." He muttered quietly with a shrug.

"Well I wanted you to! I just…realized it a little late is all."

"You realize everything a little late Gabriella!" He snapped and she looked at him not necessarily surprised. "How many times have I told you to stay? How many times have I begged you to come home-to love me again and stay here? A hundred? A thousand!"

"I know! Okay Troy? I know! I'm sorry!" She yelled though it was distressed. She heard the inevitable croak of her voice that made her weakness apparent and felt another layer of tears glaze over her eyes. There was such a large space between them as she stood up on the dock and he down on the boat and it seemed to fuel Gabriella's frustration so she stomped over to the edge and easily stepped down to the deck of the boat and looked him in the eye. "I'm an idiot too, I know that. I know I made a mistake by choosing New York and Josh and everything over you, but of all the times to ask me, I thought it would be the day I was actually leaving."

"For Gods sake Gabriella do you even hear yourself? I tell you how much I love you, you so "no", I tell you to stay, and you say "no!" And now, now that I haven't done any of that you're pissed because I didn't want to hear another "no"?" He shook his head. "Where the hell are you when I need to hear those things? When have you _ever _once came to me to do any of these things!"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing now!" He looked utterly surprised by her reply and he tried not to let his entire system fill with hopefulness.

"So what are you saying? You want to be with me? You're staying?" He said it as if he knew she would say no, though against his will a tiny twinge of hope was screaming at the back of his mind "She's staying, she loves me." His heart clenched with anticipation and nearly stopped as she laughed.

"You're such an idiot." She shook her head before taking one big step towards him, her hands gathering in a pile in the center of his chest as she looked up at him with adoration. "Of _course _that's what I'm saying." His eyes nearly widened and he felt his heart pick up again. "I love you Troy and I didn't think it was enough to tear me away from everything else but it is. I know I'm selfish, and I know I have bullshit but I now know that you're everything and anything I'll ever want and need and I really, really hope you're still willing to love me too." Troy was quiet, too quiet and it made Gabriella's stomach lurch at the thought of rejection before he simply placed both his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips passionately against hers. She was momentarily stunned before she melted into the feeling of his lips against hers and her hand flew up to grip at his wrist in need as she kissed back with an equal amount of fervour.

His tongue was smoky and rough like she remembered. The taste she hated so much when she was in adolescence was present and she remembered pulling away from their make out sessions and scolding him before watching him pop in a stick of gum, however now the taste made her pull him in even more as it represented who it was she had in her arms. She had missed that taste, or more so who the taste belonged to.

The boat rocked and Gabriella giggled against the soft pillows of Troy's lips reminding herself she would have to get her sea-legs back. The vibration of her giggle made Troy smile and he reluctantly pulled away from their kiss only to peck her lips once more.

"I love you, I love you so much Kans." He said with a happy chuckle hearing her shriek out a giggle as he lifted her and hugged her tightly to him, her arms winding around him and burying her face in his neck .

"I love you too." She mumbled sincerely to him. There was a comfortable silence as they just held each other before Gabriella pulled away and looked him in the eye, her feet connecting with the ground. "You know this means you have to quit smoking right? The gum, the patches, the hypnosis tapes they're all coming back I don't care how much you whine." She said and his smile only widened and she found her cheeks heating up slightly at the look in his eye as he smiled at her. She remembered him looking at her like that when she was seventeen, in love and married.

"I know." He chuckled lightly while wrapping his arms around her waist though he suddenly looked serious. "This is it though okay? I want it to work this time."

"Me too." She quickly agreed. He looked down to where his hands were placed now resting on her hips, slightly hesitant to say what was nagging in the back of his mind.

"You know that means no running away from me this time around, no boyfriends, no stupid fights, no…New York." He muttered and Gabriella smiled sensing his apprehension to the subject and her arms tightened around his neck and steered his gaze back to hers.

"It was overrated anyway." She whispered teasingly as if it was a secret and a heart stopping grin illuminated his face just before their lips once again met in a loving kiss.

**Wilton Valley, Alaska**

**Birch Lake **

**1509, Jamison Street, Birch Lake road**

**Residence of Troy Bolton**

**August 14****th**** 2011**

Her giggles blew away with the breeze as her hands-slightly chilled from the air- grasped onto the large, mahogany steering wheel. His tall stature was positioned behind her, his larger palms resting over her own warming them as he helped her steer, though his low mutterings in her ear and extreme closeness was causing a bit of a distraction but it wasn't as if she minded.

Not too long ago they had splurged and bought a boat that Troy had been eyeing for a while now. They had been doing fairly well in the monetary department and decided to treat themselves. It wasn't necessarily big, no yacht or anything, but it was much bigger then his old one that was still tied up to the dock since Troy didn't have the heart to sell it. They still took the old one out sometimes when they wanted something a little more intimate but lately they've favoured taking the one they were on currently. It had a well sized deck and a cabin with a sleeping area and storage unlike the other one. They were even planning a little trip for just the two of them to sail outside of Wilton for a week or so next summer.

She draped her petite body in her very own boating jacket. It was a flattering red and the strings threaded around the hood used for adjustment were a navy blue. Even though it was still August the summer weather was transforming into one that Gabriella didn't particular favour. The breeze became colder and colder the closer the days got to September so she was prepared when they planned to take the boat out that day. She had a wool hat that hung comfortably off her head, her dark curls flowing beautifully from underneath the grey knit and the black gloves she had brought had been discarded a while ago, once Troy had offered to teach her how to steer.

Troy however didn't take such great precaution as she did and she very disapprovingly would point out he was simply wearing a long sleeved white shirt and blue jeans, and he kept insisting he wasn't the slightest bit cold.

"There you go." He muttered approvingly, his enchanting voice breaking her from her thoughts, his arms still looped around her comfortably. "You're doing great baby."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He clarified with a nod making her smile widely. "You're a pro." This made her giggle quietly as she leaned back into his chest happily feeling him kiss the side of her head. "You think I could leave you alone for two seconds?"

"What why?" She asked slightly panicked.

"I'm going to get the sandwiches from the cabin; we should probably feed our guests." He said nodding behind him in the direction of the couple making googly-eyes at each other.

"What if I crash?" She asked nibbling on her bottom lip worriedly. He looked across the rather large lake and smile amused.

"Baby, I know it's not the Pacific or anything but I think you'll be fine." He chuckled pressing another kiss to her head as she pouted at his teasing. "I'll be right back, promise New York." He winked, peeling himself from behind her.

"Stop calling me that!" He heard her yell with her beautiful laugh and he too chuckled as he ran down the stairs below the deck.

It had been two years since that July she had returned. She won't sugar coat it for you, the years had sometimes been filled with little spats; arguments out of basically nothing like miscommunications and teasing gone wrong like Troy so frequently did, usually remarking something stupid like he hoped the empty carton of milk he had put in the fridge wouldn't have her booking a plane ticket….

That would have him sleeping on the couch.

Gabriella glanced down at her left hand that sparkled with a diamond. A little over a month ago Troy took her out on the new boat they saved up for to celebrate what they considered their two year anniversary. He acted suspiciously odd and Gabriella swears to this day he didn't have her surprised as he bowed to one knee and presented her with the same ring he had driven an hour to find at a dinky old pawn shop in Port Lions.

Troy begged to differ.

He watched the tears slip down her face, gasping shocked as he revealed the diamond he re-shined with some old polish he found in the storage closet of the shop. He had looked up and down in every jewellery store in Port Lions for a ring that would suffice for his girl, one that he knew she would love and he could see her wearing, though none of the fancy diamonds in the world reminded him of her more then the one sitting in his dresser for almost seven years and he knew Gabriella loved it even though she teased him calling him cheap. She always smiled down at the ring as if it had been out of place seven years too long and now it was back where it belonged. She had never been more surprised in her life.

"Gabs this boat is awesome I can't believe you and Troy finally bought it." The blonde said while shakily crossing over to where Gabriella was standing, clutching the wheel like her life depended on it. Sharpay Evans hadn't changed in the slightest except she was a little more grounded since meeting Zeke. She didn't prefer to flirt with an outrages amount of men and was happier then Gabriella had ever seen her. She still opted for calling Troy the hilarious nicknames she had come up with, "the husband" still being her favourite and Troy even responds when she summons him by such names as if it was second-nature making Gabriella giggle every time. Sharpay had even been putting herself through design school while Zeke worked at a local resident as a chef and she had never been so proud of her best friend.

"I know Troy loves it, it's so hard to get him in for dinner nowadays."

"I can imagine." She giggled along with her friend feeling another presence next to her. Looking over she smiled at her boyfriend of two years and Zeke returned the bright grin kissing her forehead gently.

"Okay I have PB&J and….PB&J." Troy said as he looked in the bag he brought to hold their lunches while coming up the stairs and Gabriella rolled her eyes giggling quietly.

"Troy made the lunches for today, I hope peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are okay."

"Perfect, nothing's better then PB&J." Zeke said with a grin and Troy smiled in agreement as he tossed his long time friend a sandwich that was tucked into a zip lock bag.

"See Gabs, told you they would like it." He stuck his tongue out at the brunette and she quickly retaliated, copying his actions before she giggled as Troy pulled her close by her waist.

"Troy no I have to steer." She giggled lazily trying to fight out of his grasp.

"Don't worry it's on auto pilot." He said and her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"You mean it was on autopilot when I thought I was driving it!" She asked and he froze from opening the zip lock back to free his PB&J.

"No…" He lied and Sharpay and Zeke laughed lightly as Gabriella punched her fiancé in the chest gently only making him chuckle and pull her into his arms, sitting her down on his lap once he was situated comfortably on the seat. He pressed an apologetic kiss to her neck making her roll her eyes and smile down at him before ripping a piece of his sandwich off and popping it in her mouth.

Her life with Troy wasn't the life she had always dreamed of. It wasn't full of glitz and glam and resulted in a lot more mud and water then she ever expected but it was a life she wouldn't trade for anything in the world. They didn't have an immense amount of money, but enough to live comfortably and since discussing it put at least two kids through college. Since Troy's grandfather retired and handed the shop over to Troy they had come into greater funds then they were used to and put some away for emergencies or as she previously mentioned, their children's education. He was doing an incredible job of running the place, displaying more of his wonderfully crafted boats which were really starting to sell since Gabriella encouraged him to not just sell them locally but advertise them online so buyers from around the world could take part in his beautiful canoes.

Gabriella made a living by teaching art at the high school she herself had gone to. The principal approached her upon hearing her prior job restoring old paintings in New York and offered her the teaching position on the spot. Gabriella always shook her head at such luck knowing that would never happen in a big city such as the one previously mentioned.

And believe it or not she had heard few things about Josh over the years. He had married someone rich and beautiful, the Mayors daughter to be specific. She was tall and skinny, and had lips full of injections; she was perfect for her ex, very high in the social ladder and loved attention and pampering. He had brought her to Wilton Valley about eight months ago before they wed. Troy was livid when he had arrived, which surprised Gabriella but after a massage and a few gentle kisses he had calmed down and listened to her when she said he wasn't there to get her back in anyway. Josh said it was to "vacation" but both she and Troy had a feeling it was to rub his new life in the couples face. However his plan backfired. Once arriving he had been surprised to see how happy his ex lover was without him and he quickly found out she didn't envy the tall woman hanging off his arm one bit. She still saw him in the newspapers every now and then with his wife and his local fame due to his immense wealth but that was really the only connection she had, and ever wanted to Joshua Hayden. And why would she want more when she had Troy?

The thought made her smile and look down at her fiancé before pressing her lips tenderly to his. He rose his eyebrow at her confused, his mouth full of PB&J and she giggled resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him as she sat content in his lap, truly happy with Troy and surprisingly, in the small town of Wilton Valley.

* * *

**I'm actually really sad this story ended it was so interesting to write. It's a lot different from anything I've ever written before so it was kind of a risk for me since I didn't resort to humour as much as I usually do and Gabriella's characterization was like something I've never done but it was a great way to further my writing skill and I loved writing this story every step of the way. I hate to see it end but I know if I drag it even further it will only ruin the story and stretch the plot until it's nothing.**

**I hope you liked the last chapter, I worked really hard on it and I'm happy with how it ended, especially because I finally got to write some real Troyella cuteness in this one ****J**

**And thanks to all of my loyal readers and reviewers who have been with me from chapter one.**

**Danixox**

**Review!**


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